Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - According to a senior US official, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan has expressed worry to Chi...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - According to a senior US official, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan has expressed worry to China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi about Beijing's veto at the United Nations of a US-led drive to put tougher sanctions on North Korea.
North Korea's first nuclear test since 2017 could happen at "any time," according to Washington. China claims it does not want this to happen, which is one of the reasons it vetoed a United Nations proposal in May to put further penalties on Pyongyang over new ballistic missile launches.
During a press conference following a 4-1/2-hour discussion between Sullivan and Yang in Luxembourg on Monday, a senior US administration official told reporters that the US felt Beijing and Washington could cooperate on the North Korean issue.
"Jake expressed worry, in particular, about the veto, which comes after a considerable number of ballistic missile launches in defiance of past United Nations Security Council resolutions, as well as preparations... for potential nuclear testing," the official added.
"Each side laid up their viewpoints and how we see the situation," the person said. "Certainly Jake made it plain that we feel this is an area where the US and China should be able to work together."
Following a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, who urged China to encourage North Korea not to repeat nuclear tests, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated on Monday that Washington will keep pressure on Pyongyang until Pyongyang changes course.
The Chinese Xinhua news agency did not go into depth about what was discussed at the meeting, merely saying that the two sides had exchanged opinions on world and regional matters such the "Korean Peninsula nuclear issue."
According to Xinhua, Yang brought up how China-US relations are currently in a "extremely difficult condition," with the US "insisting on further restricting and restraining China on all fronts." According to Xinhua, he urged cooperation.
The meeting between Sullivan and Yang comes after a phone discussion between the two officials in late May, during which Sullivan suggested that President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping could speak shortly, though no such meeting has been announced.
According to the person, the US and China maintain high-level communication, which included a meeting between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Chinese counterpart on Friday at a summit in Singapore.
When asked if a Xi-Biden meeting or call had been considered, the US official responded, "I'd expect to see other potential meetings in the months ahead, but nothing concrete planned at this moment."
In a previous statement on the Luxembourg meeting, the White House stated that the US wished to maintain open channels of communication with Beijing in order to manage bilateral competitiveness.
China-US relations are at an all-time low, with the two countries sparring over differences over Chinese-claimed Taiwan, China's human rights record, and what Washington claims is Beijing's expanding economic and military pressure around the world.
