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North Korea nuclear crisis
ChinaDiplomacy

Will North Korea crisis finally bring China and US together?

Despite differences in priorities, the two powers have come together to deal with Pyongyang’s challenge, analysts say

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A demonstration by North Korean military forces to celebrate its army’s 85th anniversary, as broadcast in a news bulletin in North Korea on April 26, 2017. Photo: AP
Laura Zhou

The rising crisis over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions has forced China and the United States to work together – at least for now – but tensions remain high in the Korean Peninsula.

Regional observers say the two powers have come together in an effort to deal with North Korea.

“Both nations have been continuing to coordinate on the North Korea issues after the Trump-Xi summit as there is a gap in the understanding between the two governments,” said Li Kaisheng, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

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“Trump is tough on North Korea and the Chinese government needs to express its own position as an unstable Korean Peninsula is the last thing Beijing wants, so frequent negotiation within a short period of time is necessary.”

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Though China and the US differed on their priorities on the North Korean crisis, the issue was where both sides could find common ground, according to Sun Xingjie, a Korean affairs expert from Jilin University.

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