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Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov met with China's Deputy Foreign Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister of North Korea to discuss the cooperation of the three countries in the process denuclearization. | Soe Than Win / AFP / Getty Images
This story is published by POLITICO as part of a content partnership with the South China Morning Post. It was originally published on scmp.com on October 10, 2018.
Chinese, Russian and North Korean Vice Ministers of Foreign Affairs met in Moscow to coordinate a trilateral approach to the denuclearization process on the Korean peninsula and called on the UN Security Council to "adjust" the sanctions regime in force against Pyongyang.
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This contrasts with the Trump administration's statement that severe sanctions would be imposed on North Korea until it was completely denuclearized.
"It is time to start thinking about adapting the United Nations Security Council sanctions regime against the DPRK. [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea]. The three sides also oppose unilateral sanctions, "the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday after the talks in Moscow.
Kong Xuanyou, Vice Foreign Minister of China, Igor Morgulov, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, and Choe Son-hui, Deputy Foreign Minister of North Korea, discussed the cooperation of the three countries during the denuclearization process.
China and Russia have supported Pyongyang's "phased and synchronized measures" to ensure that it receives compensation from the international community throughout the process, rather than waiting for full denuclearization.
All parties concerned must maintain the momentum of the dialogue and take the corresponding measures to move in the same direction, the statement said. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his next summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will not be held until next month's US mid-term elections.
Woo Jung-yeop, a researcher at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, said a friendly North Korea would strengthen China's long-term interests.
"China shows the improvement of its bilateral relations with the North … to the extent that China can now consider North Korea as a strategic interest and not a strategic burden," he said. .
"The North Korean issue has become an important factor in the US-China conflict.
"China is trying to influence the situation on the Korean peninsula, so the United States will need China's help to solve the North Korean nuclear problem."
"All three parties agreed that all issues of the Korean Peninsula should be resolved by peaceful political diplomacy … The three sides also discussed the need to establish a peace mechanism in the peninsula through 39, bilateral and multilateral cooperation, "the statement said.
Last month, Trump said he and Kim Jong-un had "fallen in love" in recent months and described his relationship with Kim as "good relations". He also said that his friendship with Chinese President Xi Jinping may be over in view of the worsening situation in China and the United States. reports.
According to North Korean media, Pyongyang officials held positive talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday.
