Solving the North Korea nuclear crisis will require a credible third party such as China as guarantor, claims Fang Songying, associate professor at the Department of Political Science, Rice University, writing for
The Paper. China's involvement would help solve the problem of a lack of mutual trust between the US and North Korea, Fang argues.
It makes sense for North Korea to swap its nuclear program for a US security guarantee and economic growth. But lack of trust in the US has so far prevented it from doing so, Fang says. A third party could supervise both countries and punish them if either breaks their pledge, the scholar believes.
While the United Nations is one possible choice, the US is a permanent member of the Security Council with veto powers, meaning it is unlikely to support punitive measures against the US. China is the best choice, because it shares interests with both sides, and is strongly motivated to keep both countries to their promises, Fang claims.
It is also in China's interests to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Stability will allow China to maintain stable economic and political relations with North Korea and unlock development opportunities for the country’s Northeast.
On the other hand, China does not want the US to expand its territory of interests all the way to the Chinese border through its global allies. Fang says China can be trusted to prevent the US from taking military action on the Korean Peninsula.
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