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| Secretary of State John Kerry |
The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry conducted negotiations in Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo. Kerry's visit has demonstrated Washington's intent to find a solution for the North Korean nuclear problem via negotiations, as well as the fact that the US is not ready for any real compromise to achieve that.
The escalation of the situation of the Korean peninsula became the main topic of John Kerry's negotiations in the three leading East Asian capitals. The Americans have taken a number of steps in order to prevent the situation from escalating. In particular, Washington has announced that it will not be testing its intercontinental ballistic missiles in order not to provoke Pyongyang. During his visit to Seoul, John Kerry stated that US intentions in the region should not be overstated; the goal is only to protect its allies. However, Andrey Ivanov, a leading expert at the Institute of International Relations of the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations, believes that all that was said by John Kerry in Seoul, and then later in Beijing and Tokyo, is unlikely to change Pyongyang's distrustful attitude towards US policy.
"Kerry has stated that the US finds it unacceptable for the world community that North Korea turns into a nuclear power. Naturally, the North Korean leadership did not count on the U.S. Secretary of State praising the DPRK for the nuclear testing or missile launch. But it has been long and patiently waiting for something else: for a signal from Washington that it is ready for direct dialogue with Pyongyang. It is also waiting for a hint that Americans understand that all the threats coming from the North Korean capital regarding the destruction of the US with nuclear weapons are simply a signal to Washington: North Korean leaders have well learned the lesson that the US has taught the whole world regarding Iraq and Libya. Hussein and Gaddafi at some point in the past gave up their plans to produce weapons of mass destruction. That resulted in US aggression and their deaths. Kim Jong-un has no wish to share the sad destiny of Hussein and Gaddafi, thus he will not give up the work on nuclear weapons. At least until he receives guarantees from US officials of his safety. And if the US refuses to take that step, one cannot expect any real progress in the situation on the Korean peninsula."
In Beijing, the U.S. Secretary of State has put real effort in trying to persuade China to stick to a hard line policy against North Korea's nuclear program. And despite the fact that the Chinese themselves are not very happy about Pyongyang's provocative actions, China called upon Washington to demonstrate more flexibility in relations with the DPRK. But Andrey Ivanov warns that this is not the end of the dispute between Washington and Beijing.
"Beijing is very displeased with the US doctrine of returning to Asia. It is perceived as a way to contain China. And although it was Hillary Clinton who was the initiator of that doctrine, there is no reason to believe that John Kerry would stick to a different policy. It is quite obvious that Washington would continue with its course to preserve its leadership in the region. Thus, Beijing's distrust towards the US will remain."
During their meeting with John Kerry the Chinese leaders hinted in so many words that the Asia-Pacific region is large enough for both China and the US, and also expressed their concern over the US plans to create a Pacific partnership, which according to the analysts from Beijing, could become an instrument of putting pressure on China. And most importantly, Chinese leaders have called upon the US to stay out of the Chinese territorial disputes with its neighbors. Kerry immediately replied that he acknowledges the Japanese control over the Senkaku/Tiaoyutai Islands. And then later in Tokyo in a conversation with his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida, he clearly stated that “the US is opposed to any change of the status quo of the Senkaku Islands”. That same day Japanese Prime Minister Shizo Abe stated that he would not go to any compromise with China regarding the Senkaku Islands. There is no doubt that the coincidence of these two statements will not in any way improve the relations between China and the US.
This story first appeared on Voice of Russia & is reposted here with permission.