Beijing (AsiaNews) - It is "unacceptable" that North Korea has nuclear weapons, and Beijing and Seoul "will do everything together, to ensure the disarmament of the Korean peninsula and thus to ensure the stability of peace in the region." This was announced during a joint press conference between the leaders of China and South Korea, Xi Jinping and Park Geun-hye, on the first day of Park's official visit.
The
two countries have expressed a "serious desire to co-operate closely to
denuclearize the peninsula." Both
have recognized "the impossibility" of controlling the Kim regime and
have therefore hoped that "the UN resolutions and the international
sanctions will be faithfully implemented by all the parties involved."
The
" Pyongyang dossier " was the first step in the common agenda of the
two leaders. Park
had said before the beginning of her visit that "without Beijing's help we
cannot stop the threat of the North", and statements of yesterday seem to
indicate that the two countries have developed a common strategy.
In
any case, the two leaders also discussed how to improve bilateral relations. Among
the measures approved is a new "high-level" communication channel and
the resumption of negotiations aimed at creating a free trade agreement. After
normalizing diplomatic relations in 1992 - interrupted by the tensions caused
by the Korean War - China has climbed up the ranks to become one of Seoul's
largest trading partners, having overtaken the United States. Last
year's bilateral trade balance exceeded 53 billion U.S. dollars.