"North Korea Is Not a Major Agenda Item in U.S.-China Talks ... Difficult to Persuade It to Give Up Nuclear Weapons," Chinese Expert Says

[Financial News] Chinese experts assessed that the North Korea issue will not be a major agenda item at the U.S.-China summit to be held in Washington on the 24th. They also said President Donald Trump is likely to achieve only limited results on the issue.
Zhou Bo, a research fellow at Tsinghua University’s Center for Strategy and Security Studies, made the remarks on the 22nd at a media briefing in Beijing titled "High-Level Exchanges and U.S.-China Relations," hosted by the All-China Journalists Association. "President Trump seems to be showing great interest in the North Korea issue, partly because he wants to divert our attention from the war in Iran," he said. "I believe it is highly unlikely that U.S.-China cooperation will drive a resolution to the North Korea issue."
Zhou, a security expert and former senior colonel in the Chinese military, argued, "I believe the results he can achieve will be limited because it is currently very difficult to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons."
He explained, "The Korean Peninsula is 1,100 kilometers long. If a nuclear clash occurred there, radioactive fallout would cause massive casualties on both sides, even if tactical nuclear weapons were used." He added, "North Korea is unlikely to initiate a genuine military attack against South Korea, especially while U.S. troops are stationed there."
Zhou added, "From China’s perspective, there is no question that preserving peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is something China strongly wants, because it concerns our neighborhood." He continued, "But what can the United States and China do under the current circumstances? Not much. I do not think this issue will be a major topic at the upcoming summit."
Sun Chenghao, an associate research fellow at the same center, noted, "In recent years, there still seems to have been debate within the United States over whether denuclearization should remain a prerequisite. In fact, the United States has also acknowledged that North Korea is already a nuclear-armed state."
Sun also identified uncertainty over whether the United States would accept North Korea’s demand to lift sanctions against it as an obstacle to U.S.-North Korea negotiations.
He said, "The United States and China can, of course, discuss the North Korea issue, but the two countries cannot determine its ultimate resolution." He explained, "That is because the United States and China do not constitute a 'G2' model, and more third countries, including South Korea and Russia, are also involved."
Sun said, "It is unrealistic to expect the U.S.-China summit to produce a package deal for resolving the North Korea issue." He added, "The issue will certainly be raised, but it will not be pursued as a major agenda item."
[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, international affairs correspondent Reporter