Americaâs top diplomat on Friday said the US would take action if China declined to intervene in the military deployment of North Korea, a hermit state and Beijing ally the US has long accused of playing a destabilising role in East Asia.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he has told his Chinese counterparts that Washington wants Beijingâs help in handling the North Korean ânuclear programmeâ and denuclearising the Korean peninsula. He said the US would bolster its defence alliances with Japan and South Korea if China refrained from intervening.
Directing his remarks at China during a fireside chat at the Aspen Security Forum in the US state of Colorado, Blinken said: âWe believe that you have unique influence and we hope that youâll use it to get better cooperation from North Korea.
âBut if you canât or if you wonât, then weâre going to have to continue to take steps that arenât directed at China but that China probably wonât like because it goes to strengthening and shoring up not only our own defences but also those of South Korea and Japan and a deepening of the work that all three of us are doing together.â
Beijing has criticised Washingtonâs defence alliances in East Asia, viewing them as efforts to monitor or contain Chinaâs military. Seoul and Tokyo resent Pyongyangâs military tests, which sometimes take place near their airspace.
North Korea has conducted âone missile launch after anotherâ, Blinken said. On July 12, Pyongyang carried out a second flight test of its Hwasong-18 intercontinental ballistic missile.
China, North Koreaâs Communist neighbour, has offered it fuel and food aid in the past and brokered international dialogue on the countryâs militarisation.
Blinkenâs comments followed the disappearance on Tuesday of Private Travis King, an American soldier who ran into North Korea during a civilian tour near the border with South Korea.
The secretary of state said he had no updates on Kingâs whereabouts but that âthere are certainly concernsâ he might be subjected to torture in North Korea.
The US is now working to anchor a declining Sino-American relationship, Blinken said on Friday. He, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and President Joe Bidenâs special climate envoy John Kerry have all visited China within the past two months.
âIt was important for us to put some stability back into this relationship, to put a floor under it, to make sure that the competition weâre clearly in does not veer into conflict, and that starts with engagement,â the diplomat said.
Blinken said China could help stem production of the illegal drug fentanyl that reaches the US through Mexico, control global climate change, and allow for the release of American detainees.
âIf we werenât engaged, we would be rightfully tagged with being irresponsible,â he said.
But challenges persist, and Blinken said on Friday the US had started a formal investigation into reports of Chinese hacking into US government emails.
Donât worry, lads. When the US says âinterveneâ, they really meant to say âWe will add more restrictions/sanctions regarding trading stuff with our fellow broskis. Thatâll show em.â
States and governments are a threat to humanity
Iâm more curious about this stuff with US soldier Travis King. He ran into North Korea while visiting the border from South Korea? The US claims they are worried he is being tortured, but Iâd be more worried about what heâs voluntarily giving over to NK.
Heâs a low-ranking soldier right? Would he have much intel of value to tell NK about?