Seoul ends diplomatic ambiguity on China

Xi’s response was as timeless as it was unsurprising, repeating the old line that it was the job of two parts of Korea to work out an agreement. He repeated China’s stand that two sides on the Korean peninsula should continue talks in the spirit of what he called “multilateralism,” presumably implying China’s opposition to unilateral domination by the US. Seoul is diplomatically so estranged from Beijing that the talks in Bali ended without Yoon promising when he will visit Beijing in response to Xi's invitation. Yoon repeated it was Xi's turn to come to Seoul first.

In an earlier three-hour-long talk with US President Joe Biden, Xi repeated the claim that China has no control over Kim Jong Un’s behavior, adding China “had no obligation to dissuade North Korea from engaging in another nuclear test.” Biden said he had the impression China had no control over Kim Jong Un’s behavior, but nevertheless hinted Xi may try stopping Kim from going ahead with another nuclear test.

But barely a week after the world’s two most powerful leaders had discussed his behavior, Kim showed his defiance by firing a Hwasong-17 intercontinental missile towards the Sea of Japan. US and Japanese military spokesmen declared the missile was capable of reaching all targets in the continental US cities. In what appeared to be a show of contempt over the US and China taking up his belligerence, North Korea released a photograph showing Kim, in his familiar flight jacket, strolling in front of a missile launching pad, holding his teenage daughter’s hand. It appeared to be sending a message that even if he were dead, his daughter would take over in yet another case of the family’s dynastic succession.

The photograph seemed to send another important message: with Putin gripped by the Ukraine war and China preoccupied with Taiwan Strait tensions, he alone was capable of taunting the Biden administration with a powerful missile. While Kim’s provocative behavior momentarily stole the show in East Asia, the trilateral US-Japan-Korea alliance was in close consultation, bringing a wave of US B1B strategic bombers and fighter jets scrambling from Okinawa to the Korean skies. It was a part of quick response agreed recently between Seoul and Washington to deal strongly with Pyongyang’s provocations.

The Biden administration has agreed to provide nuclear coverage to Seoul in the event the North launched a nuclear attack against the South. “Any nuclear attack on the South will end the North Korean regime,” assured US defense secretary Lloyd Austin.

Against that backdrop, South Korean fighters unleashed air-to-surface missiles near North Korea’s east coast following Kim’s ICBM launching. It was part of Yoon’s message that Kim’s provocations will not go unanswered from now on.