Talks only launchpad for peace

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea announced last month that it intends to launch a satellite into space using the three-stage Unha-3 rocket between April 12 and 16 to mark the 100th birthday of former leader Kim Il-sung. This has caused grave concern among the international community, particularly those countries that have a stake in peninsular affairs.

Both domestic and external factors have prompted Pyongyang to go ahead with the launch despite having just reached an agreement to suspend nuclear tests, long-range missile launches and uranium enrichment activities in exchange for nutritional assistance from the United States.

Domestically, the centenary anniversary of the birth of DPRK's former president Kim Il-sung on April 15 is a major event. The DPRK hopes to use the occasion to enhance national cohesion, and to demonstrate its independence and its legitimate rights as a sovereign state to the international community.

The launch also seems to be Pyongyang's way of showing its dissatisfaction with the DPRK-US agreement. The DPRK hopes to receive more grain and foodstuffs, rather than nutritional food, such as milk powder and biscuits. By launching the satellite, Pyongyang wants to gain the upper hand in future negotiations with the US.

Following the announcement of the launch, the US suspended its nutritional food aid to the DPRK. The US, the Republic of Korea and Japan have called the planned launch "highly provocative" and claim it is in direct violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Seoul said that the launch will be a provocative act against the international community and urged Pyongyang to show restraint. Japan has threatened to intercept the rocket if it passes through Japan's airspace.

However, the DPRK says it is strictly abiding by relevant international regulations and the launch is for peaceful purposes and does not contravene the US-DPRK agreement. To demonstrate to the world "the peaceful and scientific nature" of the planned satellite launch, Pyongyang invited foreign experts and reporters to watch the satellite launch. On April 8, scores of foreign experts and reporters took a special train to the Sohae Satellite Launching Station in the DPRK's northwest.

If the international community imposes new sanctions against the DPRK because of the satellite launch, it is bound to exacerbate the already volatile situation.

China is concerned about the latest development on the Korean Peninsula, and has called on all parties to be calm and exercise restraint. It has reiterated that the only way to properly solve the issues and maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula is through diplomacy.

In recent years, although the situation on the Korean Peninsula has had twists and turns, and has sometimes seemed to be on the brink of war, so far this has not materialized. This would not have been the case without China's efforts to safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula. China has played an irreplaceable role as regional stabilizer, especially, after the sudden death of Kim Jong-il.

Experience has shown that the West's hard-line policy toward the DPRK is only intensifying the problems and complicating the situation.

Neither a destabilized DPRK nor a nuclear-armed DPRK is in line with China's national interests. Therefore, China must persevere with its mediation efforts. But all parties must understand Beijing's difficulties in getting the DPRK and the US-ROK alliance to see eye to eye.

The key to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula lies in the improvement of US-DPRK relations. While, the ROK has established good ties with China and Russia, the DPRK has remained estranged from the US. The two sides should demonstrate the sincerity of their desire for better relations by concluding a peace agreement as soon as possible and realizing the normalization of relations.

That's why China makes unremitting efforts to encourage the resumption of the Six-Party Talks, which is the only effective platform for easing tensions and reaching a peaceful solution acceptable to all parties.

The author is a professor of international studies at Jilin University.

(China Daily 04/12/2012 page9)