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| China Bluntly Tells North Korea to Enter Nuclear Talks | China Bluntly Tells North Korea to Enter Nuclear Talks |
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| BEIJING — The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, bluntly told a North Korean envoy on Friday that his country should return to diplomatic talks intended to rid it of its nuclear weapons, according to a state-run Chinese news agency. | BEIJING — The Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, bluntly told a North Korean envoy on Friday that his country should return to diplomatic talks intended to rid it of its nuclear weapons, according to a state-run Chinese news agency. |
| “The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace on the peninsula is what the people want and also the trend of the times,” Mr. Xi said in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People with Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, a personal envoy of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, the China News Service reported. | “The denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace on the peninsula is what the people want and also the trend of the times,” Mr. Xi said in a meeting at the Great Hall of the People with Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae, a personal envoy of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, the China News Service reported. |
| In telling the North that it should return to negotiations with the United States and others, Mr. Xi struck a stern tone, saying, “The Chinese position is very clear: no matter how the situation changes, relevant parties should all adhere to the goal of denuclearization of the peninsula, persist in safeguarding its peace and stability, and stick to solving problems through dialogue and consultation.” | In telling the North that it should return to negotiations with the United States and others, Mr. Xi struck a stern tone, saying, “The Chinese position is very clear: no matter how the situation changes, relevant parties should all adhere to the goal of denuclearization of the peninsula, persist in safeguarding its peace and stability, and stick to solving problems through dialogue and consultation.” |
| Vice Marshal Choe had already suggested Thursday that the North was open to at least some type of dialogue. But Mr. Xi’s warning made clear that he was insisting on international talks, and appeared to signal China’s frustration with its troublesome ward. Although China is North Korea’s economic benefactor, Mr. Kim has been dismissive of Chinese entreaties that it not upend the status quo in the region by provoking the West with missile and nuclear tests. | Vice Marshal Choe had already suggested Thursday that the North was open to at least some type of dialogue. But Mr. Xi’s warning made clear that he was insisting on international talks, and appeared to signal China’s frustration with its troublesome ward. Although China is North Korea’s economic benefactor, Mr. Kim has been dismissive of Chinese entreaties that it not upend the status quo in the region by provoking the West with missile and nuclear tests. |
| In calling for a resumption of the so-called six-party talks — the diplomatic effort among countries including China and the United States that collapsed in 2008 when North Korea walked out — Mr. Xi might also have been posing a challenge to the Obama administration. | In calling for a resumption of the so-called six-party talks — the diplomatic effort among countries including China and the United States that collapsed in 2008 when North Korea walked out — Mr. Xi might also have been posing a challenge to the Obama administration. |
| The United States and South Korea have insisted on preconditions for the talks, including a pledge from North Korea that it would abandon its nuclear program. The North has rebuffed that condition in the past, and American experts say Mr. Kim is unlikely to back down. | The United States and South Korea have insisted on preconditions for the talks, including a pledge from North Korea that it would abandon its nuclear program. The North has rebuffed that condition in the past, and American experts say Mr. Kim is unlikely to back down. |
| China would most likely agree to new six-party talks without preconditions, according to Cai Jian, deputy director of the Center for Korean Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. | China would most likely agree to new six-party talks without preconditions, according to Cai Jian, deputy director of the Center for Korean Studies at Fudan University in Shanghai. |
| “China believes that the parties sitting down for talks is progress in itself,” Mr. Cai said. | “China believes that the parties sitting down for talks is progress in itself,” Mr. Cai said. |
| Analysts have depicted Vice Marshal Choe’s three-day visit to Beijing as a mission to repair the prickly relationship between his country and China. The vice marshal handed Mr. Xi a letter from Mr. Kim, but the contents were not disclosed. | Analysts have depicted Vice Marshal Choe’s three-day visit to Beijing as a mission to repair the prickly relationship between his country and China. The vice marshal handed Mr. Xi a letter from Mr. Kim, but the contents were not disclosed. |
| Mr. Xi’s statement Friday followed another clear message delivered in April, when he said that “no one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gain.” | Mr. Xi’s statement Friday followed another clear message delivered in April, when he said that “no one should be allowed to throw a region and even the whole world into chaos for selfish gain.” |
| As the vice marshal proceeded through the standard meetings in Beijing with two senior Communist Party leaders, the usual conduit for relations between the two countries, and then a meeting with a senior Chinese military commander, it had been unclear whether he would even be accorded an audience with Mr. Xi, the Chinese president. The meeting with Mr. Xi at the Great Hall of the People was announced only after it had occurred. | As the vice marshal proceeded through the standard meetings in Beijing with two senior Communist Party leaders, the usual conduit for relations between the two countries, and then a meeting with a senior Chinese military commander, it had been unclear whether he would even be accorded an audience with Mr. Xi, the Chinese president. The meeting with Mr. Xi at the Great Hall of the People was announced only after it had occurred. |
| In an earlier encounter Friday with the vice marshal, a senior Chinese military commander delivered a message similar to Mr. Xi’s, and suggested that North Korea’s nuclear program was responsible for the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. | In an earlier encounter Friday with the vice marshal, a senior Chinese military commander delivered a message similar to Mr. Xi’s, and suggested that North Korea’s nuclear program was responsible for the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula. |
| By the standards of China’s carefully worded statements, the remarks by the commander, Gen. Fan Changlong, a vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, were unusually strong. They were devoid of any ritualistic references to the friendship between the allies. | By the standards of China’s carefully worded statements, the remarks by the commander, Gen. Fan Changlong, a vice chairman of the powerful Central Military Commission, were unusually strong. They were devoid of any ritualistic references to the friendship between the allies. |
| “In recent years, the Korean Peninsula has frequently seen rapidly escalating tensions due to the Korean nuclear issue,” General Fan was quoted as saying by the China News Service. “Strategic differences between parties have been exacerbated, endangering the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.” | “In recent years, the Korean Peninsula has frequently seen rapidly escalating tensions due to the Korean nuclear issue,” General Fan was quoted as saying by the China News Service. “Strategic differences between parties have been exacerbated, endangering the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.” |
| General Fan appealed for “dialogue and consultation” and “unremitting efforts” toward peace. | General Fan appealed for “dialogue and consultation” and “unremitting efforts” toward peace. |
| In reply to General Fan, the vice marshal was quoted as saying that North Korea was willing to “search for a way to solve problems with dialogue.” | In reply to General Fan, the vice marshal was quoted as saying that North Korea was willing to “search for a way to solve problems with dialogue.” |
| An American expert on North Korea, Jonathan D. Pollack, said there was “no realistic prospect for any near-term resumption of diplomacy with Pyongyang.” But Mr. Pollack, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institution, added that “North Korean actions in recent months have enabled the most candid and realistic discussions between Washington and Beijing that have ever taken place.” | |
| The meeting with the vice marshal comes a little more than two weeks before a planned summit in California between President Obama and the Chinese leader. | The meeting with the vice marshal comes a little more than two weeks before a planned summit in California between President Obama and the Chinese leader. |
| North Korea had requested meetings in Beijing for the last several months but had been turned down by the Chinese leadership, Chinese analysts said. It appeared that the Chinese relented after the announcement of the meeting between Mr. Xi and Mr. Obama, and the vice marshal then rushed to Beijing. | North Korea had requested meetings in Beijing for the last several months but had been turned down by the Chinese leadership, Chinese analysts said. It appeared that the Chinese relented after the announcement of the meeting between Mr. Xi and Mr. Obama, and the vice marshal then rushed to Beijing. |
| North Korea will almost certainly be one of the top issues on the agenda at the meeting between Mr. Obama and Mr. Xi. | North Korea will almost certainly be one of the top issues on the agenda at the meeting between Mr. Obama and Mr. Xi. |
| The North’s recent belligerence poses a conundrum for China, which has long seen the poor police state as a buffer against the alliance between the United States and South Korea. But the Obama administration has made clear in recent months that China’s inability — or unwillingness — to rein in Mr. Kim was actually contributing to the American decision to enhance its military presence in the region, which is anathema to the Chinese. | |
| The relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing has been testy not only because of Mr. Kim’s apparent willingness to thumb his nose at a major power. Analysts say the North has also bristled at China’s demands, including for North Korea to sell natural resources cheaply to Chinese companies. | The relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing has been testy not only because of Mr. Kim’s apparent willingness to thumb his nose at a major power. Analysts say the North has also bristled at China’s demands, including for North Korea to sell natural resources cheaply to Chinese companies. |
Bree Feng contributed research. | Bree Feng contributed research. |