US calls on China to exert influence over Russia and North Korea: NPR

Chinese President Xi Jinping speaks during a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb at the Great Hall of the People on Tuesday.

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WASHINGTON – The United States and South Korea have urged China to use its influence over Russia and North Korea to prevent escalation after Pyongyang sent thousands of troops to Russia to support Moscow's war against Ukraine. Beijing has remained calm so far.

In a rare meeting earlier this week, three senior US diplomats met with the Chinese ambassador to the United States to highlight US concerns and urge China to use its influence over North Korea to try to limit cooperation, according to reports a State Department spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that the sides had “an intensive conversation just this week” and that China knows that U.S. expectations are that “they will use their influence to curb these activities.”

“But I think this is a signal of demand coming not just from us but from countries around the world,” he said at a news conference in Washington with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts.

Liu Pengyu, spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, said in a statement that China's position on the Ukraine crisis was “consistent and clear.”

China is seeking “peace talks and a political solution to the Ukraine crisis. This position remains unchanged. China will continue to play a constructive role in this,” Liu said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke about the economic benefits of U.S. travel and tourism during an event with Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo at the State Department in Washington on Tuesday.

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The US says 8,000 North Korean soldiers are in Russia near the border with Ukraine and are preparing to help the Kremlin fight Ukrainian troops in the coming days. China has not yet publicly commented on the move.

Beijing has formed a “borderless” partnership with Moscow, and while it has also been a key ally of Pyongyang, experts say Beijing may not approve of the closer military partnership between Russia and North Korea because it sees it as destabilizing for the region.

The partnership between Russia and North Korea contradicts Beijing's goal of a peaceful Korean peninsula, said Shi Yinhong, an international relations expert at China's Renmin University.

Beijing is “aware of the complexity and danger of the situation,” Shi said, noting that “the fact that China has not yet said anything about the military alliance agreement between North Korea and Russia shows that China does not agree with it at all.”

Dennis Wilder, senior fellow at the Initiative for US-China Dialogue on global issues at Georgetown University, called Beijing's “radio silence” on North Korea's move “shocking.” He said Beijing needed to find a balance between supporting Moscow and not angering the West and that Chinese President Xi Jinping could “ignore the whole thing for its own sake.”

Xi has developed a personal relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and “he cannot see Putin fail,” Wilder said this week at a panel discussion hosted by the Washington think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies.

At the same time, Xi cannot anger Europeans and Americans when his country's economy is in trouble, Wilder said. “So he won’t say anything publicly about it,” Wilder said.

Victor Cha, Korean chairman at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said at the same panel discussion that for China there is “probably a combination of a little desperation, a little panic and a little inaction.” What to do in this situation.”

It was unclear whether Beijing was informed of Pyongyang's move in advance, Cha said. Beijing may also worry about Russia gaining more influence than China over North Korea, Cha said.

Austin said Thursday that China “should ask Russia some tough questions at this point and whether it intends to expand this conflict through this type of behavior.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shake hands during their meeting in Vladivostok, Russia, April 25, 2019.

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Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Dan Kritenbrink and Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs James O'Brien met with Chinese envoy Xie Feng in Washington on Tuesday, the State Department official said there would be no Chinese response explain in more detail.

Lu Chao, director of the Institute of American and East Asian Studies at Liaoning University in China's northeastern Liaoning province, said the U.S. should not expect China to manage North Korea.

“It's not that China is responsible for managing North Korea and the US is responsible for managing South Korea,” Lu said. “I hope the US government was able to understand China’s position.”

Lu also said the troop deployment was “a matter between Russia and North Korea,” while China's stance remained unchanged that the conflict should not be escalated.