China suggests sanctions relief for North Korea after U.S. summit

[webfact]

China suggests sanctions relief for North Korea after U.S. summit

By Christian Shepherd

 

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un react at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore June 12, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

 

BEIJING (Reuters) - China suggested on Tuesday that sanctions relief could be considered for North Korea, after U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to work toward complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

 

China has signed up for increasingly tough U.N. sanctions against its isolated neighbour following Pyongyang's repeated nuclear and missile tests, but has always said sanctions should be accompanied by talks for a political resolution.

 

China is North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic backer, despite its anger at Pyongyang's sabre rattling.

 

Speaking in Beijing following Trump and Kim's signing of a joint statement at the end of their historic summit in Singapore, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang reiterated that China has always strictly abided by all U.N. resolutions on North Korea.

 

"The U.N. Security Council resolutions that have been passed say that if North Korea respects and acts in accordance with the resolutions, then sanction measures can be adjusted, including to pause or remove the relevant sanctions," Geng told a daily news briefing.

 

"China has consistently held that sanctions are not the goal in themselves. The Security Councils actions should support and conform to the efforts of current diplomatic talks towards denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, and promote a political solution for the peninsula."

 

Beijing has key strategic interests when it comes to North Korea, and has long feared that a collapse of its isolated neighbour could push waves of refugees into northeastern China, or that nuclear war on the Korean peninsula could contaminate swathes of the country.

 

North Korea also serves as a valuable buffer state between China and U.S. forces in South Korea.

 

Speaking earlier in the day also in Beijing, the Chinese government's top diplomat, State Councillor Wang Yi, said China hoped the United States and North Korea can reach agreement on a peace deal.

 

"We hope that the two countries' highest leaders can dispel interference, establish mutual trust, overcome difficulties and can reach a basic consensus on promoting and achieving the denuclearisation of the peninsula and promoting and establishing a peace mechanism for the peninsula," Wang told reporters.

 

"Of course, we are willing to see all relevant sides making positive efforts on this. China will continue to play our constructive role," he added.

 

China views the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue as a security issue, and what is most important is for the United States and North Korea to sit down to find a way to resolve their problems, Wang said.

 

"At the same time, there needs to be a peace mechanism for the peninsula, to resolve North Korea's reasonable security concerns. I think nobody can doubt the extremely unique and important role China has played. And this role will continue."

 

The 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice and a state of war still technically exists between the two Koreas.

 

Lasting peace has obvious benefits for China, especially in bolstering the development of its rust-belt and landlocked northeast which borders North Korea and would suffer in the even of conflict.

 

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Paul Tait and Michael Perry)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-12

[darksidedog]

Wow! Things are moving very quickly. Malaysia to reopen its Embassy and China talking of sanctions relief, while the ink on a basic document is barely dry. I sincerely hope this is the beginning of a new era.

[Morch]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

Wow! Things are moving very quickly. Malaysia to reopen its Embassy and China talking of sanctions relief, while the ink on a basic document is barely dry. I sincerely hope this is the beginning of a new era.

 

And all without Kim actually giving anything up yet. Ain't it great what a smile can achieve....

[spidermike007]

Now, at the end of the summit, he has created another in a thousand lies. He says he has a great relationship with Kim! How do you develop a great relationship in one meeting? I mean this guy has no regard for facts, whatsoever. All we know, as of now is the following:

 

1. Trump said he would suspend the war games, with South Korea. The South Korean ministry said they have no idea where that came from, what it means, or the reason for it. China is wetting their pants in delight.

2. Trump said he would work towards bringing down the number of US troops stationed in the DMZ and in South Korea. China is again wetting their pants in delight.

3. He said he would work toward easing sanctions. Both Kim and China are wetting their pants in delight.

4. Trump said he would offer security guarantees to North Korea. Nice one for Kim. Terrible for South Korea. 

5. Trump said he would consider removing American nukes from Korea. Nice one for Kim. Terrible for the South Koreans. 

 

What did the so called master of the art of the deal get in return? A vague promise that we will work toward de-nuclearrization from North Korea. What else? There was no mentioning the previous US aim of "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization." And Kim's commitments did not appear to go beyond what he already pledged to do in April when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in along their countries' border.

 

Who got played here? Looks like Trump got played, just like he is getting played by the Saudis, the Israelis, the Canadians, and just about anyone else he engages with. This man is a horrific negotiator. He could not negotiate his way out of a paper bag. 

 

Tiny Don. The art of I cannot make a deal to save my life. 

[JHolmesJr]

2 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

China is wetting their pants in delight.

 

U got a contact deep inside China?

[spidermike007]

Just now, JHolmesJr said:

 

U got a contact deep inside China?

Think about it. Virtually every concession Trump made benefits China. What did North Korea offer? Where were the concessions? China wants the sanctions eased, as North Korea and China are huge trading partners, and virtually every North Korean bank operated out of China, to get around the sanctions. 

[JHolmesJr]

6 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Think about it. Virtually every concession Trump made benefits China. What did North Korea offer? Where were the concessions? China wants the sanctions eased, as North Korea and China are huge trading partners, and virtually every North Korean bank operated out of China, to get around the sanctions. 

 

U ever done bidness?

 

Ever heard of give and take?

 

Sit back and let the adults work things out.

 

History is being made.

Edited June 12, 2018 by JHolmesJr

[scorecard]

1 hour ago, Morch said:

 

And all without Kim actually giving anything up yet. Ain't it great what a smile can achieve....

Further, the media is reporting trumps every word, I can't find any media report sharing comments from Mr. Un. Strange.

[scorecard]

2 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

U ever done bidness?

 

Ever heard of give and take?

 

Sit back and let the adults work things out.

 

History is being made.

 

Where's the adults?

 

 

[attrayant]

It's too soon.  NK has gotten lots of propaganda victories from this event, while the west has gotten nothing.  Of course if Russia agrees with China, Trump will have no choice.

[bristolboy]

4 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Think about it. Virtually every concession Trump made benefits China. What did North Korea offer? Where were the concessions? China wants the sanctions eased, as North Korea and China are huge trading partners, and virtually every North Korean bank operated out of China, to get around the sanctions. 

China and North Korea are "huge trading partners?" Given the tiny size of the North Korean economy, how huge for China can it be? China is the second largest economy in the world. North Korea ranks 95th. It's roughly 1/400 the size of China's. There are other interests China may have in regards to North Korea, but the strictly economic ones are of no great importance to China.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Who got played here? Looks like Trump got played, just like he is getting played by the Saudis, the Israelis, the Canadians, and just about anyone else he engages with. This man is a horrific negotiator. He could not negotiate his way out of a paper bag. 

 

Tiny Don. The art of I cannot make a deal to save my life. 

 

I pretty much agree with your analysis and the full version in your prior post.

 

However, I'm also willing to give peace a chance. So, it seems to me the important thing at this point SHOULD BE, the U.S. can match verified, confirmed progress in the removal of NK's nuclear arsenal with a corresponding reduction in international sanctions.

 

If NK makes 1% progress toward de-nuking, then the U.S. should relax 1% of sanction. And so on and so forth. But if NK balks at independent, international inspections to verify their progress/compliance or obstructs access to nuclear facilities, then all deals ought to be off.

 

Now, whether the Trump Admin will follow thru in that kind of rational, measured manner, or he'll end up being used by NK and China remains to be seen. Considering it's Trump and his admin, I'm not hopeful on rationality.  But, I'm willing to give the quest for peace a chance.

 

Edited June 12, 2018 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[alanrchase]

It's a bit early for any analysis. Best to wait and see which side of the bed Trump gets out of tomorrow. 

[Tug]

Donald got played.got no guarantees got nada from Kim my question is what’s Donald gonna do when he looks the fool on the world stage oops guess he should know that one already lol

[spidermike007]

12 hours ago, bristolboy said:

China and North Korea are "huge trading partners?" Given the tiny size of the North Korean economy, how huge for China can it be? China is the second largest economy in the world. North Korea ranks 95th. It's roughly 1/400 the size of China's. There are other interests China may have in regards to North Korea, but the strictly economic ones are of no great importance to China.

Still, Beijing continues to have sizeable economic ties with Pyongyang. Bilateral trade increased tenfold between 2000 and 2015, peaking in 2014 at $6.86 billion, according to figures from the Seoul-based Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. With the advent of tougher sanctions, trade growth has dampened, but Pyongyang is still dependent on Beijing for economic activity.

 

Also, the fear of sanctions on the part of China has alot to do with their 800 km. plus border with North Korea. They are very fearful of a huge exodus from their neighbor, should things get worse. And nearly all of the larger Korean banks operate out of China. 

 

 

[sanemax]

18 hours ago, Morch said:

 

And all without Kim actually giving anything up yet. Ain't it great what a smile can achieve....

Kim has given up his quest for Nuclear weapons , vowed to stop testing rockets .

Sanctions were put in place to stop NK developing Nuclear Weapons .

Once that it has been established that NK are sincere , that they have indeed given up their quest to build nukes , there will no longer be any reason to keep the sanctions in place

[stevenl]

14 hours ago, attrayant said:

It's too soon.  NK has gotten lots of propaganda victories from this event, while the west has gotten nothing.  Of course if Russia agrees with China, Trump will have no choice.

So another indication that NK is the winner here.

[Rarebear]

17 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Now, at the end of the summit, he has created another in a thousand lies. He says he has a great relationship with Kim! How do you develop a great relationship in one meeting? I mean this guy has no regard for facts, whatsoever. All we know, as of now is the following:

 

1. Trump said he would suspend the war games, with South Korea. The South Korean ministry said they have no idea where that came from, what it means, or the reason for it. China is wetting their pants in delight.

2. Trump said he would work towards bringing down the number of US troops stationed in the DMZ and in South Korea. China is again wetting their pants in delight.

3. He said he would work toward easing sanctions. Both Kim and China are wetting their pants in delight.

4. Trump said he would offer security guarantees to North Korea. Nice one for Kim. Terrible for South Korea. 

5. Trump said he would consider removing American nukes from Korea. Nice one for Kim. Terrible for the South Koreans. 

 

What did the so called master of the art of the deal get in return? A vague promise that we will work toward de-nuclearrization from North Korea. What else? There was no mentioning the previous US aim of "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization." And Kim's commitments did not appear to go beyond what he already pledged to do in April when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in along their countries' border.

 

Who got played here? Looks like Trump got played, just like he is getting played by the Saudis, the Israelis, the Canadians, and just about anyone else he engages with. This man is a horrific negotiator. He could not negotiate his way out of a paper bag. 

 

Tiny Don. The art of I cannot make a deal to save my life. 

Are you confused?  What Nukes does America have in S Korea?  Where do you get these talking points?

[spidermike007]

13 minutes ago, Rarebear said:

Are you confused?  What Nukes does America have in S Korea?  Where do you get these talking points?

I stand corrected. As of now, visiting ships may have nukes, and the US has alot of nukes within striking range of North Korea, but it appears they are no longer based on South Korean soil.

 

During the Cold War, the United States deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea continuously for 33 years, from 1958 to 1991. The South Korean-based nuclear arsenal peaked at an all-time high of approximately 950 warheads in 1967. Since the last US nuclear weapons were withdrawn from South Korea in 1991, the United States has protected South Korea and Japan under a “nuclear umbrella” using nuclear bombers and submarines based elsewhere. While defense hawks in Seoul and Washington have, in 2017, called for the United States to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, the authors argue against this idea. Doing so, they say, would provide no resolution of the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and would likely increase nuclear risks. Redeployment would also have serious implications for broader regional issues because it would likely be seen by China and Russia as further undermining their security.

[Rarebear]

1 minute ago, spidermike007 said:

I stand corrected. As of now, visiting ships may have nukes, and the US has alot of nukes within striking range of North Korea, but it appears they are no longer based on South Korean soil.

 

During the Cold War, the United States deployed nuclear weapons in South Korea continuously for 33 years, from 1958 to 1991. The South Korean-based nuclear arsenal peaked at an all-time high of approximately 950 warheads in 1967. Since the last US nuclear weapons were withdrawn from South Korea in 1991, the United States has protected South Korea and Japan under a “nuclear umbrella” using nuclear bombers and submarines based elsewhere. While defense hawks in Seoul and Washington have, in 2017, called for the United States to redeploy tactical nuclear weapons to South Korea, the authors argue against this idea. Doing so, they say, would provide no resolution of the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear weapons and would likely increase nuclear risks. Redeployment would also have serious implications for broader regional issues because it would likely be seen by China and Russia as further undermining their security.

The other points are also flawed.  Trump has been talking about reducing troops for a couple of years nothing to do with the summit.  The only news was the war games which is now a positive as they can be resumed if there is any atomic tests or missile launches by NK.  He did good. 

[dragonballz]

19 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Now, at the end of the summit, he has created another in a thousand lies. He says he has a great relationship with Kim! How do you develop a great relationship in one meeting? I mean this guy has no regard for facts, whatsoever. All we know, as of now is the following:

 

1. Trump said he would suspend the war games, with South Korea. The South Korean ministry said they have no idea where that came from, what it means, or the reason for it. China is wetting their pants in delight.

2. Trump said he would work towards bringing down the number of US troops stationed in the DMZ and in South Korea. China is again wetting their pants in delight.

3. He said he would work toward easing sanctions. Both Kim and China are wetting their pants in delight.

4. Trump said he would offer security guarantees to North Korea. Nice one for Kim. Terrible for South Korea. 

5. Trump said he would consider removing American nukes from Korea. Nice one for Kim. Terrible for the South Koreans. 

 

What did the so called master of the art of the deal get in return? A vague promise that we will work toward de-nuclearrization from North Korea. What else? There was no mentioning the previous US aim of "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization." And Kim's commitments did not appear to go beyond what he already pledged to do in April when he met South Korean President Moon Jae-in along their countries' border.

 

Who got played here? Looks like Trump got played, just like he is getting played by the Saudis, the Israelis, the Canadians, and just about anyone else he engages with. This man is a horrific negotiator. He could not negotiate his way out of a paper bag. 

 

Tiny Don. The art of I cannot make a deal to save my life. 

same again i would like to quote to disagree with you but do not want to get banned

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, Rarebear said:

The other points are also flawed.  Trump has been talking about reducing troops for a couple of years nothing to do with the summit.  The only news was the war games which is now a positive as they can be resumed if there is any atomic tests or missile launches by NK.  He did good. 

By your standards he can do even better. He can propose calling off the sanctions on pain of reinstating them if there are any atomic tests or missiles. He could even build a hotel there on pain of shutting it down if there are any atomic tests or missile launches.

[bristolboy]

1 hour ago, Rarebear said:

Are you confused?  What Nukes does America have in S Korea?  Where do you get these talking points?

Well, then why is North Korea calling for denuclearization of the entire Korean Peninsula? Do you believe that they are only referring to themselves? Seems unlikely. It's overwhelmingly likely that their stipulation refers to extraterritorial denuclearization as well. In fact, North Korea has never defined what denuclearization means. I think it's been useful as a Rorschach to test to identify Trump supporters.

[lionsincity]

when you obtain Nukes you get respect.

[sanemax]

20 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Now, at the end of the summit, he has created another in a thousand lies. He says he has a great relationship with Kim! How do you develop a great relationship in one meeting?

They spent five hours together in the meeting .

That is plenty of time to form a "great relationship"

You are just dissecting Donalds words , desperately looking for flaws .

How do you suggest what the better terminology would have been ?

   " I had a great meeting with Kim , we developed a good relationship during that time, but as I was only with him for five hours , our relationship hasnt yet developed to being great , I would have to spent more time with him, until I can class our relationship as being great , now we are just friends "

   Would be happier with that statement ?

[bristolboy]

2 minutes ago, sanemax said:

They spent five hours together in the meeting .

That is plenty of time to form a "great relationship"

You are just dissecting Donalds words , desperately looking for flaws .

How do you suggest what the better terminology would have been ?

   " I had a great meeting with Kim , we developed a good relationship during that time, but as I was only with him for five hours , our relationship hasnt yet developed to being great , I would have to spent more time with him, until I can class our relationship as being great , now we are just friends "

   Would be happier with that statement ?

Who couldn't be happy with a statement where the President of the United States claims he's friends with Kim?

[Basil B]

And we all know Donald does renege on deals.

 

[mtls2005]

Who knows what was said in the two on two meeting? Evidently no recording was made, and no notes were taken.

 

Now DPRK are claiming via their state news organ, that Trump has agreed to lift all sanctions, and provide "security guarantees".

 

Obama was eviscerated, by many including Pompeo and Bolton back in the day for merely suggesting meeting with Kim. Go figure.

[sanemax]

1 hour ago, bristolboy said:

Who couldn't be happy with a statement where the President of the United States claims he's friends with Kim?

What would you prefer ?

• USA and North Korea threatening each other with Nuclear war OR USA and North Korea having peaceful discussions ?

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

18 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

Who knows what was said in the two on two meeting? Evidently no recording was made, and no notes were taken.

 

Now DPRK are claiming via their state news organ, that Trump has agreed to lift all sanctions, and provide "security guarantees".

 

Obama was eviscerated, by many including Pompeo and Bolton back in the day for merely suggesting meeting with Kim. Go figure.

 

And now Iran is warning NK not to believe Trump and the U.S., because of course, Trump wants to reneg on the international (including U.S.) agreement with Iran on its nuclear weapons program.

 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-iran/iran-warns-north-korea-trump-could-cancel-deal-before-getting-home-idUSKBN1J813Y

 

And of course, the Iranians are right -- Trump is erratic and unpredictable and prone to personalized responses, probably pretty much the same as Kim. The only hope for the world in this is that it takes one true lunatic to recognize and deal successfully with another true lunatic.  I'm hopeful, but I wouldn't want to be betting money on the outcome considering Kim and Trump are the two principals.