Mature diplomacy

Updated: 2011-10-27 08:06

(China Daily)

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Beijing is engaging in a new round of mediation efforts to promote denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, and regional peace and development.

Both the DPRK and the ROK are important neighbors of China, and both are strategically and economically important in Northeast Asia.

The successive visits of Vice-Premier Li Keqiang to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and neighboring Republic of Korea (ROK) will be helpful not only in deepening China-DPRK friendship and promoting China-ROK ties, but also conducive to the improvement of North-South relations and the resumption of the Six-Party Talks.

The elaborate scheduling shows that Beijing is keen to push negotiations among the relevant parties back on track under the framework of the Six-Party Talks.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated sharply when North-South relations soured to the verge of a fight after the sinking of the ROK's Cheonan corvette and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in 2010.

Kim Jong-il, top leader of the DPRK, said, while meeting Li, on Monday the country hopes the Six-Party Talks will be restarted as soon as possible.

In a separate visit to the ROK, Li Keqiang met in Seoul on Wednesday with President Lee Myung-bak for talks on bilateral ties and regional issues.

The timing of Li's two-state visits is also noteworthy, as during his stay in Pyongyang, negotiators from the DPRK and the United States made some progress in their second round of direct talks in Geneva, focusing on managing tensions on the peninsula and Pyongyang's nuclear program. All these are encouraging signs showing that the resumption of the stalled talks is gaining momentum.

However, some stubborn differences remain and will not be quickly overcome.

In spite of Pyongyang's repeated calls for resuming nuclear talks without preconditions, Seoul and Washington insist that Pyongyang must first halt its nuclear activities, including its uranium enrichment program, before the talks can resume.

China supports the US-DPRK dialogue, which is helpful in eliminating the risks of miscalculation, enhancing mutual trust, and creating conditions to restart the nuclear talks and reach a proper solution.

All the parties involved in the Six-Party Talks, namely China, the US, DPRK, ROK, Japan and Russia, should demonstrate sincerity and work with China, the host, to create favorable conditions for restarting the talks.

Li's shuttle diplomacy is fruitful in promoting China-DPRK and China-ROK relations, as well as regional stability and cooperation. And the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula is a touchstone of China's maturing diplomacy.

(China Daily 10/27/2011 page8)