‘China should talk with Korea and the U.S.,' says a Chinese scholar

A day before Song Tao, the head of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China, visited North Korea as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s special envoy, a professor at one of China’s most prestigious universities earned people’s attention in Seoul by speaking about the need for trilateral dialogue in preparation for sudden changes in circumstances such as the possible collapse of the North Korean regime. His comment suggests that Chinese scholars are increasingly voicing their opposition to the nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

“China should no longer be hesitant in discussing abrupt changes that can possibly occur in North Korea with the United States and Korea,” said Xia Liping, dean and professor of School of Political Science & International Relations at Tongji University in Shanghai, at the “2017 Northeast Asia Peace and Cooperation Forum” held at Grand Hilton Seoul last Thursday. Proposing to hold a trilateral “emergency plan dialogue,” he suggested agendas include which party would control in the case where the North Korea regime collapses; how we should handle the refugee issue of the North; which party should take the responsibility of restoring national order within North Korea in times of urgency; and how the Korean Peninsula can be politically stabilized after a crisis.

“Though sanctions on the North are being strengthened with China’s more active participation, pessimistic views prevail on whether North Korea will drop nuclear development as a result,” said the scholar. “Considering that North Korea continues to carry out nuclear and missile provocations despite China’s diplomatic efforts, now is the time for us to start a serious dialogue with the United States and Korea without hesitation.”

Xia added that as much as such agendas are tricky in nature, dialogue and negotiation on them will help the United States and China to ease the strategic stalemate in their relations.

Ja-Ryong Koo bonhong@donga.com