*At the North Korea summit, empathy is the key*
by *Fu Ying*
Fu Ying is China’s former vice foreign minister and was once a member of
China’s delegation in the six-party talks on North Korea.
http://www.guancha.cn/fuying/2018_06_11_459675_s.shtml
*BEIJING *— One of the important conditions for diplomatic success is to
understand the other party, so as to form the right judgement and the
right moves in negotiations.
In the 4th century B.C., Zhuangzi, an ancient Chinese philosopher, was
challenged with the following question, “As you are not a fish, how can
you say this fish is happy?” I often quote this when discussing the
Korean nuclear issue with Americans, as I often have found them judging
Pyongyang with their own assumptions.
For example, some have asserted that North Korea’s ultimate objective is
to possess nuclear weapons and that talk about their security concerns
is merely an excuse. Why would that be the case? Nuclear weapons are not
food. If North Korea can be assured of its survival and opportunities
for development, why wouldn’t it want to give up the nuclear weapons
that have only gotten them mired in sanctions and confronted with a
worsening environment? A North Korea in a constant state of insecurity
would only go down further along the dangerous track of nuclear
development. This has been the security dilemma that we have seen on the
Korean Peninsula over the past 15 years.
Now, an unprecedented opportunity for peaceful resolution has emerged.
We are witnessing a confluence of multiple favorable factors rarely seen
in history and that may lead to a positive outcome.
First, South Korean President Moon Jae-in is a man of peaceful
convictions. He began calling for peace and dialogue shortly after
taking office last year, extending an uninvited olive branch to North
Korea. In the context of the Korean Peninsula, this is like a bungee
jump without a rope. Fortunately, he was caught safely by Pyongyang,
which did not let go of his outstretched hand of peace. Following its
sixth nuclear test in September 2017, North Korea claimed that it had
reached its target of nuclear deterrence. Since then, the state has
announced it would shift its focus to economic development. This turning
point could not have come at a better time.
More importantly, we have also seen a turn of mind in the U.S.
perception of the Korean nuclear issue. The Donald Trump administration
came to realize the serious consequences of the approach taken by the
previous administrations, which was characterized by pressure alone
without serious peace talks. U.S. policymakers have also acknowledged
the huge cost of war after toying with the military option and other
tough measures.
On the one hand, the Trump administration slapped down more stringent
sanctions on North Korea to impose more pain. Yet at the same time, it
has gone further than any previous administrations in terms of the
earnestness and consistency of its openness to engagement. Former
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s “four nos” commitment — that the
United States was not seeking regime change in Pyongyang, nor collapse
of the North Korean state, nor premature reunification with South Korea,
nor sending American forces into North Korea — gave the North Koreans
the respect for which they longed. That statement was not lost on their
leadership.
China’s position has been consistent. China is firmly committed to a
nuclear-free Korean Peninsula reached through peaceful means and is
opposed to war and chaos on the peninsula. The fact that Pyongyang and
the United States are embarking on a journey of peaceful negotiations is
in the right direction — a direction China has all along called for and
has played a vital role in making possible.
Indeed, success of the summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim
Jong Un is not impossible. Both sides have made previously unimaginable
concessions to make this happen. The summit may even lead to a new
agreement and usher in an important stabilizing process.
Naturally, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. When faced with such a
grave challenge, all parties need to make adjustments and compromises if
they wish to achieve their respective objectives. For North Korea, this
is a matter of life or death, and it will certainly take a very serious
approach. Yet, it will be vulnerable, touchy and nervous at the same
time. What Kim Jong Un has been after is no different from what his
father and even grandfather had always wanted: national and regime
security. No matter what North Korea does — be it nuclear development or
abandonment — it would be for the same purpose. So, Pyongyang’s
calculations are not difficult to gauge.
But what do we know about the U.S. approach? The Americans have been
working on a thorough analysis of the nuclear issue and have detailed
requirements as to how denuclearization should take place. But we rarely
hear what they are ready to offer to North Korea in return. When the
Americans propose a front-loaded denuclearization, have they thought
about how to “front-load” North Korea’s security concern? When the
United States demands that Pyongyang’s denuclearization be “immediate”
and “permanent,” have they considered how to “permanently” guarantee
Pyongyang’s security? The key is whether the parties can have empathy
and step into the other’s shoes for a moment.
The parties are well-advised to avoid trapping themselves by making
demands that are impossible to meet at the current stage. Some room
should be left to make both parties comfortable enough to allow the
process to proceed, which would be a remarkable achievement in itself.
As the Chinese saying goes, “Three feet of ice does not form in a single
cold day.” As the Korean nuclear issue has undergone a complicated
evolution over many decades, its solution will take goodwill, patience
and perseverance.
As a firm proponent of peace and a voice against war, China’s role has
been similar to an anchor which moors the resolution of this conflict to
a peaceful course. We will continue to actively encourage and facilitate
conciliation. To play the stabilizing role of an anchor, however, China
also needs to be ready for a possible derailing of the talks and be
prepared to prevent the boat from drifting or even capsizing.
For the Chinese people, a peaceful Korean Peninsula is our fundamental
aspiration. We would like to see the people of North Korea able to
embark on a path of economic development. We sincerely hope that the
parties rise to the challenge of this historic moment.
This was produced by The WorldPost, a partnership of the Berggruen
Institute and The Washington Post.
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