Meet China’s new point man to handle North Korean affairs
Kong Xuanyou has unenviable task of reviving six-party talks aimed at reining in Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions
As leaders in Washington and Pyongyang engage in a war of words over North Korea’s nuclear provocations, Beijing has quietly changed its point man tasked with defusing the crisis.
Wu Dawei, China’s top negotiator in the long-stalled six-party talks, has retired after more than 13 years of overseeing Beijing’s largely futile efforts to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
The 71-year-old veteran diplomat has been replaced by Kong Xuanyou, currently the top Chinese diplomat in charge of Asian affairs, according to diplomats in Beijing and sources cited by South Korean and Japanese media.
Beijing has yet to officially announce the appointment of Kong as its special representative on Korean peninsula affairs. But he has been heavily involved in China’s efforts to de-escalate tensions over North Korea since he was promoted to assistant foreign minister two years ago.
Kong, a Japan expert with limited experience in dealing with both Koreas, now has what’s considered an almost impossible task – reviving the six-party denuclearisation talks between China, the United States, North and South Korea, Russia and Japan.
He takes on the role at a time when the talks – once seen as evidence of Beijing’s growing diplomatic clout – have all but collapsed.