Restoring peace in Northeast Asia

Moreover, all the related parties should continue making efforts to safeguard common interests, accommodate each other's demands and jointly manage regional crises. A nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, peace and stability in Northeast Asia, economic development and cooperation in non-traditional security fields are important common interests of the countries in the region. In order to ensure that the DPRK abandons its nuclear program, all relevant parties should make efforts to help the DPRK on the economic and energy fronts. But their cooperation should be based on mutual respect, and conform to international laws, domestic public opinion and common interests. And China, the ROK and Japan should make efforts to establish win-win relationships with the DPRK by granting concessions.

The US and China, on their part, should meet halfway to help ease the tensions in the region. This is especially important because many of the region's problems can be traced to the US' actions to maintain its dominant position in the Asia-Pacific. So, China should take measures to establish a "new type of major-power relationship" with the US by improving bilateral militarily relations and other means in order to compel Washington to work with it to improve the security situation the region.

Crisis management in the region mainly depends on preventing the DPRK from conducting any more nuclear tests and stopping the other countries involved from provoking it to do so. The ultimate aim, however, should be to restore permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. It is thus important to free the DPRK from international isolation and help it to develop its economy. But this can become reality only if the US cooperates with China. Therefore, the onus of restoring permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula rests with the US.

The author is an associate professor at the National Institute of International Strategy, affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.