US Reportedly Says China & Russia Can ‘Influence’ North Korea To Stop From Resuming Nuclear Testing

Tensions escalated on the Korean peninsula as the US and South Korea launched joint military exercises with Seoul claiming that North Korea could detonate its first nuclear test device, with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea warning Washington of a "powerful response" if it "persists in grave military provocations".

US officials believe that China and Russia could use their "influence" to dissuade the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) from resuming nuclear bomb testing, according to a US media report.

Since May, the United States had been claiming that North Korea was preparing to resume nuclear testing for the first time since 2017, albeit without offering any timeframe.

"We have a high level of confidence that they have made preparations. We believe that they could do this ... I can't tell you 'we think it will be this day for the following reasons', because we just don't have that level of knowledge," a senior administration official in Washington was cited as saying.

Pyongyang may have delayed resumption of nuclear testing because of the country’s COVID-19 outbreak in May and June, the official cited in the report suggested, adding that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) that wrapped up on 22 October, could have also made North Korea "more focused on ways they could get support from China in particular."

"We do think that [North Korea] are making calculations about the degree of receptivity for others in the region, I think, particularly Russia and China. And I think that the Russian and Chinese attitudes do have influence with them," the unnamed Washington official added.

A man watches a television screen at Suseo railway station in Seoul on March 26, 2021, showing news footage of North Korea's latest tactical guided projectile test.

© AFP 2023 / JUNG YEON-JE

North Korea ratified the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1985 but withdrew in 2003, giving as its reason the threatening and hostile policy of the US towards it. It carried out its first nuclear test three years later, in 2006. Subsequent tests were carried out in 2009, 2013, twice in 2016, and in 2017.

Since 2006, the UN Security Council has passed nearly a dozen resolutions sanctioning North Korea for developing nuclear weapons and related activities, with the US and other countries also imposing unilateral sanctions related to trade in weapons and military equipment, asset freezes of people involved in the nuclear program, and restricting scientific cooperation, among others. In May, Russia and China vetoed a US-spearheaded push to impose more UN sanctions over North Korea's renewed ballistic missile launches. However, the two nations have “long been on the record as opposing the DPRK nuclear program", the source was quoted as saying, adding:

"So ... it's our belief, and certainly it is our expectation, that they will use the influence that they have to try and get the DPRK not to conduct a nuclear test."

The report comes as the US and its Asian allies have repeatedly amplified the rhetoric, claiming that Pyongyang could be planning a nuclear bomb test, although failing to provide details backing their concerns. At the same time, the US and South Korea have stepped up joint military drills in the region, codenamed Vigilant Storm, fueling tensions further.

Pyongyang issued official statements, objecting to the drills and then launched at least 17 missiles toward the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea, and fired 100 rounds of artillery on 2 November. The DPRK warned the US that it would send a "powerful response" if Washington "persists in grave military provocations". Pyongyang also accused the US of being "the chief culprit in destroying peace and security", highlighting that North Korea was ready to take all necessary measures to defend itself against military threats.

Indeed, under the present Democratic POTUS, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have rocketed as Joe Biden put paid to his predecessor Donald Trump's attempts to facilitate peaceful dialogue between Seoul and Pyongyang. Biden stated in May 2021 that he would not give the DPRK's leader Kim Jong-un "recognition" as a "legitimate" head of the state unless he denuclearized the country. Furthermore, as Yoon Suk-yeol won the presidency in South Korea in March 2022, he declared Communist Pyongyang the "main enemy" of Seoul and openly discussed the idea of a preemptive strike against the North.

Истребители ВВС Южной Кореи F15K и ВВС США F-16 на военных учениях

© AP Photo / South Korea Defense Ministry

'Reciprocal Steps Needed'

As the US and South Korea fan the flames of conflict on the Korean Peninsula, China said it was closely monitoring the situation.

"China is closely following the developments of the Korean Peninsula situation... We hope relevant parties can keep to the direction of seeking political settlement, meet each other halfway, and avoid escalation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Wednesday at a regular press conference.

Russia and China will persist in jointly considering the North Korea issue, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized last month at a plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club. The plan is based on the principle of reciprocal steps by the United States and the DPRK, with Moscow and Beijing repeatedly warning that the US approach, according to which North Korea must first completely get rid of its nuclear missile program and only then will it be possible to consider lifting sanctions on the DPRK and ensuring its economic development is absolutely unsustainable.

"Our roadmap, which we proposed together with China, was that first we should build confidence through mutual meetings, and then we should take some tangible measures, including the suspension of military exercises, tests, and missile launches, and then proceed to negotiations," Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said earlier, referring to the plans for a Korean settlement that Russia and China presented back in 2017.