Their traditionally close relations have been strained after North Korea’s defiant military provocations despite warnings issued by Beijing and China’s participation in global sanctions against Pyongyang.
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Top diplomats from almost 30 Asia-Pacific countries and regional powers will meet Tuesday to discuss regional security issues such as North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
But China has grown impatient with North Korea’s refusal to rein in its weapons programme after its fourth nuclear test in January and a series of missile launches this year sparked global uproar.
Kerry, who is in the Laotian capital to attend an Asia-Pacific security conference that includes North Korea, said its actions present a very serious threat not just to this region but also to worldwide peace and security.
This was the first meeting between high-level officials from the governments of South Korea and China since South Korea and the U.S. announced that they would be deploying THAAD with United States forces in South Korea.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during the 6th East Asia Summit Foreign Minister’s meeting in Vientiane, Laos, Tuesday, July 26, 2016.
The annual gathering is one of the rare moments in the diplomatic calendar when all members of the stalled six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear programme are in the same room. “The meeting was held as part of the two countries’ normal communication process”, an unnamed North Korean official said.
“North Korea’s actions present a very serious threat, not just to this region but to global peace and security”.
“North Korea in January did another nuclear test”.
The continued sabre-rattling by the North prompted Washington and Seoul to agree earlier this month to deploy a sophisticated anti-missile system in South Korea, which can shoot down incoming enemy projectiles. Immediately after touching down in Vientiane, Wang Yi told reporters from various countries that he and Ri had “gave each other our regards”.
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The ARF is a rare global occasion attended by the North along with all the other countries that were involved in the six-party talks aimed at curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
