Politics
15:50, 17-Mar-2018
US hosts meetings with ROK and Japan to prepare for Trump-Kim meeting
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US Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan met separately with foreign ministers from the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Japan on Friday to coordinate stances in preparation for the upcoming Trump-Kim meeting.
The meeting between US President Donald Trump and the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Kim Jong Un, is expected in May, but the location is still unclear.
According to statements by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Friday's bilateral meetings with the ROK and Japan stressed the importance of their bilateral alliances and continued the maximum pressure campaign against Pyongyang.
Sullivan and ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha agreed in their meeting that the US-ROK alliance is the "linchpin" of regional stability and security, particularly in light of the DPRK's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
In his meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, Sullivan and Kono reaffirmed the importance of the US-Japan alliance, vowing to maintain maximum pressure on Pyongyang.
Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono at the US Department of State in Washington D.C., United States on March 16, 2018. /Xinhua Photo
Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan meets with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono at the US Department of State in Washington D.C., United States on March 16, 2018. /Xinhua Photo
Regarding the latest US sanctions intended to step up pressure, the Wednesday edition of the DPRK's official daily Minju Joson newspaper accused the United States of trying to reverse the existing detente on the Korean Peninsula.
It said in a commentary that the US decision to impose new sanctions illustrates an intention to "bring back the situation to a phase of tension by escalating the sanctions and pressure."
Signs of a thaw on the Korean Peninsula merged earlier this year since working-level talks between ROK and DPRK were held at the truce village of Panmunjom and DPRK athletes and officials participated in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. In addition, the two countries agreed to hold the third inter-Korean summit in late April.
China has said it welcomes the Trump-Kim meeting, deeming it as a step in the right direction towards resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, and that it fully commends and supports the efforts made by the parties concerned to solve the issue with dialogue and consultation.
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Source(s): Xinhua News Agency