Washington: The United States must work with China to make progress in North Korea, a senior Department of State official on Friday, ahead of the senior US diplomat visit to the region.
Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will visit Japan, South Korea and Mongolia next week, he can add a visit to China to a travel plan, where dealing with the North Korean regime will be on the agenda, the official said, spoke with anonymous requirements.
Washington wants to work with China in several overlapping fields, although it has a full relationship between the two largest economies in the world for problems including trade and human rights.
Washington wants to control the North Korean nuclear program, but efforts to build diplomatic contacts since President Joe Biden served earlier this year has not received a response.
Senior officials said that “no doubt there are advanced ways” with the regime, known as the DPRK, will need Chinese assistance, as well as South Korea and Japan’s regional allies.
“The DPRK is a single area where we can work with (China) because you cannot do a solution (without them),” said the official, explained that China was North Korea’s main trading partner.
In December, the United States accused China “striking violations” from its obligations to enforce international sanctions against North Korea.
China said it obeyed UN sanctions in North Korea, although together with Russia, has expressed hope that easing these conditions can help break the deadlock in nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang.