China airs pessimism about Korean tensions

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi reiterated the "freeze-for-freeze" proposal for North Korea to suspend weapons tests while the US halts military drills in the area

China expressed pessimism about bringing the North Korean standoff to a peaceful resolution, even as Kim Jong Un’s regime touted new United Nations support for “regular” talks. 

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Saturday “the outlook is not optimistic” on the Korean Peninsula and urged all sides to end what he said was a “vicious cycle” of confrontation. Wang’s remarks — part of a broad foreign policy speech in Beijing — came hours after North Korea said a departing UN delegation had agreed to communications to help ease tensions.

Wang said there was still hope for a diplomatic solution to the frictions over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. He reiterated a Chinese "freeze-for-freeze" proposal for North Korea to suspend weapons tests while the US halts military drills in the area. “The first step to pull the situation on the peninsula out of the current ‘black hole’ of confrontation is to create the conditions and atmosphere to restart dialogue,” Wang said.

The UN’s top official for political affairs, Undersecretary General Jeffrey Feltman, left North Korea on Saturday. His visit came as the US sent a B-1B bomber to join massive aerial drills with South Korea after Kim recently tested a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that could reach any American city.

The UN move was part of a flurry of efforts involving countries from Canada to Germany to try and facilitate talks between Kim’s regime and the US.

Still, there have been no negotiations with Pyongyang for years on its nuclear program, with Kim refusing to agree to US demands he first halt his arms development, and North Korea in turn accusing the US of planning an invasion and regime change. Repeated calls by South Korea and China for talks have failed to gain traction, even as Kim accelerates his weapons capability with a series of missile and nuclear tests.