-
傅莹:朝核问题和平解决的机遇之窗
最后更新: 2019-10-17 10:12:20At the North Korea summit, empathy is the key
by Fu Ying
Fu Ying is China’s former vice foreign minister and was once a member of China’s delegation in the six-party talks on North Korea.
BEIJING — One of the important conditions for diplomatic success is to understand the other party, so as to form the right judgement and the right moves in negotiations.
In the 4th century B.C., Zhuangzi, an ancient Chinese philosopher, was challenged with the following question, “As you are not a fish, how can you say this fish is happy?” I often quote this when discussing the Korean nuclear issue with Americans, as I often have found them judging Pyongyang with their own assumptions.
For example, some have asserted that North Korea’s ultimate objective is to possess nuclear weapons and that talk about their security concerns is merely an excuse. Why would that be the case? Nuclear weapons are not food. If North Korea can be assured of its survival and opportunities for development, why wouldn’t it want to give up the nuclear weapons that have only gotten them mired in sanctions and confronted with a worsening environment? A North Korea in a constant state of insecurity would only go down further along the dangerous track of nuclear development. This has been the security dilemma that we have seen on the Korean Peninsula over the past 15 years.
Now, an unprecedented opportunity for peaceful resolution has emerged. We are witnessing a confluence of multiple favorable factors rarely seen in history and that may lead to a positive outcome.
First, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is a man of peaceful convictions. He began calling for peace and dialogue shortly after taking office last year, extending an uninvited olive branch to North Korea. In the context of the Korean Peninsula, this is like a bungee jump without a rope. Fortunately, he was caught safely by Pyongyang, which did not let go of his outstretched hand of peace. Following its sixth nuclear test in September 2017, North Korea claimed that it had reached its target of nuclear deterrence. Since then, the state has announced it would shift its focus to economic development. This turning point could not have come at a better time.
More importantly, we have also seen a turn of mind in the U.S. perception of the Korean nuclear issue. The Donald Trump administration came to realize the serious consequences of the approach taken by the previous administrations, which was characterized by pressure alone without serious peace talks. U.S. policymakers have also acknowledged the huge cost of war after toying with the military option and other tough measures.
On the one hand, the Trump administration slapped down more stringent sanctions on North Korea to impose more pain. Yet at the same time, it has gone further than any previous administrations in terms of the earnestness and consistency of its openness to engagement. Former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s “four nos” commitment — that the United States was not seeking regime change in Pyongyang, nor collapse of the North Korean state, nor premature reunification with South Korea, nor sending American forces into North Korea — gave the North Koreans the respect for which they longed. That statement was not lost on their leadership.
China’s position has been consistent. China is firmly committed to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula reached through peaceful means and is opposed to war and chaos on the peninsula. The fact that Pyongyang and the United States are embarking on a journey of peaceful negotiations is in the right direction — a direction China has all along called for and has played a vital role in making possible.
Indeed, success of the summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not impossible. Both sides have made previously unimaginable concessions to make this happen. The summit may even lead to a new agreement and usher in an important stabilizing process.
Naturally, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. When faced with such a grave challenge, all parties need to make adjustments and compromises if they wish to achieve their respective objectives. For North Korea, this is a matter of life or death, and it will certainly take a very serious approach. Yet, it will be vulnerable, touchy and nervous at the same time. What Kim Jong Un has been after is no different from what his father and even grandfather had always wanted: national and regime security. No matter what North Korea does — be it nuclear development or abandonment — it would be for the same purpose. So, Pyongyang’s calculations are not difficult to gauge.
But what do we know about the U.S. approach? The Americans have been working on a thorough analysis of the nuclear issue and have detailed requirements as to how denuclearization should take place. But we rarely hear what they are ready to offer to North Korea in return. When the Americans propose a front-loaded denuclearization, have they thought about how to “front-load” North Korea’s security concern? When the United States demands that Pyongyang’s denuclearization be “immediate” and “permanent,” have they considered how to “permanently” guarantee Pyongyang’s security? The key is whether the parties can have empathy and step into the other’s shoes for a moment.
The parties are well-advised to avoid trapping themselves by making demands that are impossible to meet at the current stage. Some room should be left to make both parties comfortable enough to allow the process to proceed, which would be a remarkable achievement in itself. As the Chinese saying goes, “Three feet of ice does not form in a single cold day.” As the Korean nuclear issue has undergone a complicated evolution over many decades, its solution will take goodwill, patience and perseverance.
As a firm proponent of peace and a voice against war, China’s role has been similar to an anchor which moors the resolution of this conflict to a peaceful course. We will continue to actively encourage and facilitate conciliation. To play the stabilizing role of an anchor, however, China also needs to be ready for a possible derailing of the talks and be prepared to prevent the boat from drifting or even capsizing.
For the Chinese people, a peaceful Korean Peninsula is our fundamental aspiration. We would like to see the people of North Korea able to embark on a path of economic development. We sincerely hope that the parties rise to the challenge of this historic moment.
This was produced by The WorldPost, a partnership of the Berggruen Institute and The Washington Post.
本文系观察者网独家稿件,未经授权,不得转载。
-
本文仅代表作者个人观点。
- 责任编辑: 陈轩甫 
-
特朗普致函埃尔多安全文曝光:别像个傻瓜
2019-10-17 09:46 特朗普 -
美国新规限制中国外交官行动,我大使讽刺
2019-10-17 09:10 中美关系 -
若香港事件重演,李显龙:新加坡肯定完蛋
2019-10-17 08:51 香港 -
中企承建肯尼亚内马铁路一期通车
2019-10-17 08:39 非洲之窗 -
美国再次威逼德国:有华为没情报
2019-10-16 22:31 华为 -
约翰逊做巨大让步,脱欧协议要成?
2019-10-16 20:30 不列颠 -
暗示将模仿京都动画案对EVA制作公司纵火,日本男子被捕
2019-10-16 20:01 日本 -
说好写汉服文化 结果CNN“夹带私货”引众怒
2019-10-16 19:29 -
苏格兰首席大臣:明年必须举行第二次独立公投
2019-10-16 19:17 不列颠 -
美国等国拖欠会费,联合国连扶梯、喷泉都停了
2019-10-16 19:13 -
金正恩骑白马登上“白头山”
2019-10-16 19:09 朝鲜现状 -
美国歌手穿奥黛露大腿 越南网友气坏:快穿上裤子!
2019-10-16 17:58 明星那点事儿 -
扎克伯格密会保守派人士后,“删除脸书”成热搜第一
2019-10-16 16:58 美国一梦 -
詹姆斯“最后一次”回应
2019-10-16 16:53 NBA -
非洲能成为下一个亚洲吗?
2019-10-16 16:19 中国论坛 -
在伊朗音乐网站,女歌手别想露脸了
2019-10-16 16:07 -
土耳其仆从武装靠近美军,美军派战斗机驱离
2019-10-16 15:58 叙利亚内战 -
她的死,或将推动“雪莉法”诞生
2019-10-16 15:49 三八线之南 -
中国专利申请连续8年居首,美国仍领衔境外专利申请
2019-10-16 15:36 科技前沿 -
习近平出访两邻国 看点亮点都在这
2019-10-16 15:31 中国外交
相关推荐 -
“6年增加两倍”,美军高官又炒:中国速度“惊人” 评论 34NASA局长抹黑中国登月,连专业常识都不顾了 评论 379“中国报价太香,加税50%都吓不跑美国买家” 评论 281挺巴抗议席卷全美高校,大批学生遭逮捕 评论 456习近平主持召开新时代推动西部大开发座谈会 评论 74最新闻 Hot
-
“6年增加两倍”,美军高官又炒:中国速度“惊人”
-
“这泼天的富贵暂时轮不上美国”
-
“价格战太激烈,大众在华目标就是保住份额”
-
朔尔茨称“普京没资格”,俄方反怼
-
“以色列是种族隔离国家!”纽约爆发抗议,数百犹太人被捕
-
“宁德时代被美国施压还赚了,韩企投资美国怎么反而要亏?”
-
俄国防部副部长涉严重贪腐被拘
-
NASA局长抹黑中国登月,连专业常识都不顾了
-
特朗普迎接:我喜欢这人
-
欧洲急着减排,却发现实现目标得依赖中国
-
“中国报价太香,加税50%都吓不跑美国买家”
-
美太平洋舰队司令来华参会:2019年后来华最高级别军官
-
中国进口贴标“美国制造”,这家高端美企要被罚惨了
-
挺巴抗议席卷全美高校,大批学生遭逮捕
-
这是他访华的“筹码”?美官员忙否认
-
伊朗总统警告以色列:若再来犯,让你“寸草不生”
-