China looking for a seat at the table for any end-of-war declaration, South Korean legislator says
National Assembly leader says Beijing also wants to diminish US influence in the Korean peninsula
While next week’s meeting in Pyongyang about denuclearisation is between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, China is still jostling for a seat at any further talks, according to a senior member of South Korea’s parliament.
Kang Seok-ho, the chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, said that Beijing seeks to ensure it will not be left out of negotiations when it comes time to declare a formal end to the Korean war.
A statement by the leaders of the two Koreas after their talks in April said they would pursue a declaration of the war’s end either through trilateral negotiations with the US, or quadrilateral negotiations including China.
The statement thus raised questions about whether the two Koreas would prefer to involve the US more than China.
“It is in China’s best interest to secure a seat at the end-of-the-war declaration discussion as China may want to use [the Korean peninsula situation] to check the power of the US in the region,” Kang told the South China Morning Post.