US and China to Block North Korea From Obtaining Sensitive Military Technologies

US and China to Block North Korea From Obtaining Sensitive Military Technologies. September. 13, 2003 22:53. maypole@donga.com.

James Kelly, US Deputy Secretary of State, said Sept 11 that the US and the Chinese governments have been working on measures to prevent North Korea from obtaining military technologies needed to produce nuclear weapons and missiles from other countries.

The US official gave a detailed explanation on the Sino-US bilateral relations to a US Senate committee for foreign relations on that day. “The two governments have been exchanging opinions on how to block the North from obtaining technologies needed to build nuclear weapons, missiles, and weapons of mass destruction from other countries,” he said.

James Kelly added that the two nations have discussed these matters over the last two weeks. Even the Chinese government has recently issued a ban on shipments of vessels bound for the Stalinist country to prevent sensitive military technologies from being transferred to North Korea, he said.

He also told the Senate committee that the US government has called on the Chinese government to regulate North Korean airplanes used for transferring technologies required to produce weapons.

“China is the last resort and a major supplier to provide fuels and foods for North Korea. And the Chinese government is offering a 500 million dollar worth of foods and fuels every year,” he estimated.

Kelly said that the Chinese government wants not only to maintain stable bilateral relations with the North but also to avoid massive exodus of North Korea defectors into its territory. “The Chinese government has a consistent influence on North Korea, which has contributed to inducing the North to return to a negotiating table,” he credited the Chinese government for the resumption of multilateral nuclear talks in Beijing.