North Korea’s persistent violations of missile test bans mean there is not “much enthusiasm” for international talks to avoid a clash over their nuclear weapons program, according to the State Department.
“I don’t think there is a realistic expectation of some kind of serious engagement from the international community while the North Koreans are continuing in all of this provocative and frankly illegal behavior,” Susan Thornton, acting assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told reporters Monday.
If anything, the prospect of such talks receded with North Korea’s announcement that they plan to stage “more missile tests on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis.” Such activities will cause President Trump and U.S. allies to intensify the non-military pressure on the regime, in an attempt to roll back the rogue nation’s nuclear weapons program without the devastation of a hot war.
“We need to see that there is some kind of a different path forward before we can engage in any kind of serious discussions with them,” Thornton said. “We haven’t so far seen that signal and without a signal like that I think the international community is going to be resolved to just continue ratcheting up the pressure to try to make it clear that there is no path forward without a discussion of denuclearization. ”
President Trump dangled economic rewards before Chinese President Xi Jinping if the regional heavyweight, long an enabler of the North Korean regime, uses its leverage to bring dictator Kim Jong-un to heel. That process may have started already, as Trump reversed course on his pledge to label China a currency manipulator. “I explained to the President of China that a trade deal with the U.S. will be far better for them if they solve the North Korean problem!” Trump tweeted after the meeting.
The State Department is optimistic that China will bring unprecedented diplomatic pressure to bear on North Korea. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive signals from the Chinese, but it takes time,” Thornton said. “We’ve been quite encouraged.”
