After North Korea carried out a sixth nuclear test on Sept. 3, the leaders of China and Russia reaffirmed their support for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
On Sept. 3, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was in the Chinese city of Xiamen in Fujian Province to attend the BRICS Summit, China’s state-run Xinhua News reported. Xinhua said the two leaders shared their opinions about regional and international issues of mutual interest and “agreed to maintain close communication and cooperation in regard to the goal of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula while responding appropriately to the latest news about North Korea carrying out another nuclear test.”
The report did not provide any detailed information about the “appropriate response” mentioned by Xi and Putin. China had Russia have generally been on the same page in regard to responding to the North Korean nuclear issue, but they did disagree about the missile launched by North Korea in July, which China regarded as an intercontinental ballistic missile and Russia concluded was an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
By Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent
Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]