The US should try to discuss its own nuclear weapons with South Korea and Japan to pressure China over North Korea, a Republican congressman has suggested. The argument is that just having these talks could force China to use leverage against North Korea. Reporter Lee Jo-eun reports.
Representative Steve Chabot, Republican secretary of the Asia-Pacific Subcommittee of the House Foreign Relations Committee, proposed negotiations with South Korea and Japan on their own nuclear weapons as one of the solutions to the North Korea problem on the 6th.
[녹취:샤봇 의원] “First, we should tighten sanctions even more. We should also resume joint military exercises with South Korea and we should work together to show the alliances and cooperation of the United States, Korea, Japan. And then there is China. China does not have complete control over North Korea, but they do have a lot of leverage. We need to get China to use that leverage.”
In a conversation held by the Washington Times Foundation on the same day, Representative Chabot said that in order to resolve the issue of North Korea, sanctions should be strengthened, joint military exercises resumed with South Korea, and the United States, South Korea, and Japan should work together to show their alliance and cooperation.
“And then there’s China,” he said. “China doesn’t have total control over North Korea, but it has a lot of leverage.”
“We have to let China use that leverage,” he stressed.
As a way of putting pressure on China, Senator Chabot proposed trilateral sanctions on Chinese financial institutions, namely secondary sanctions, the use of additional missile defense systems against South Korea and Japan, or negotiations with the two countries on their own nuclear weapons.
[녹취:샤봇 의원] “I think we can move towards that in many ways. US law enforcement involves sanctioning Chinese financial institutions that do business with North Korea. That would certainly get their attention. But it is something that both Republican and Democratic administrations have been reluctant to do. Or we could reopen talks about basing additional missile defense systems in Japan and South Korea, something China doesn’t want either. And something I’ve been advocating for a while which is a bit controversial, but I think we should explore at least discussions with South Korea and Japan about the countries’ (getting nuclear) programs themselves.”
“U.S. law enforcement means sanctioning Chinese financial institutions that do business with North Korea,” Chabot said.
“Or we could resume discussions about deploying additional missile defense systems in Japan and South Korea,” he added. “That’s something China doesn’t want.”
“While I have argued for a long time and it is somewhat controversial, I think we should try to negotiate with at least two countries about South Korea and Japan having their own nuclear programs,” he said.
“China will not put pressure (on North Korea) unless it feels it is in their interest,” Rep. Chabot said. You can really apply the necessary pressure.”
[녹취:샤봇 의원] “China is not going to administer that pressure unless they feel it is in their interest to do so. And if they thought they were going to hit nuclear South Korea and nuclear Japan, maybe, they would actually put the necessary pressure on North Korea to back off.”
Representative Chabot, who was defeated in the mid-term elections on November 8 and is ending his political activities in Washington this year, has repeatedly insisted on the need for talks on nuclear weapons between South Korea and Japan.
In the conversation that day, Representative Chabot also emphasized the importance of strengthening trilateral cooperation between the United States and Japan by improving Korea-Japan relations.
[녹취:샤봇 의원] “The individual relationships with these two critical allies, and the trilateral relationship between our three countries are fundamental to peace and security in the Indo Pacific… I am encouraged by Japan and Korea taking steps to resolve their historical differences.”
Representative Chabot said, “The individual relationship with two important allies (Korea and Japan) and our trilateral relationship are essential to peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific.” he said.
This is Joeun Lee from VOA News.
