New U.S. envoy urges closer cooperation with China on N. Korea issue

The United States and China have “much more to gain” from closer cooperation in reining in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, the new U.S. ambassador to China said Tuesday.

At his first press conference as ambassador, Max Baucus also pledged to build a “stronger relationship” between the world’s two largest economies and militaries, saying it would not only benefit the two nations but also the whole world.

“Leaders of both sides recognize that we are much more to gain from cooperation than conflicts,” said the former senator from Montana.

Baucus said he totally agrees with the views shared by U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“I see many areas our relationship and cooperation have made it possible. These areas range from regional security issues, such as North Korea and Iran, to a broader global basis such as rules of law, cyberspace, climate change, pandemic disease, transnational law enforcement, clean energy and so on,” Baucus said.

On Monday, China’s top nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, left for North Korea for talks on ways to resume the six-party talks aimed at ending the North’s nuclear program.

Since its third nuclear test in February last year, North Korea has repeatedly expressed its willingness to reopen the six-party talks “without preconditions,” but Seoul and Washington have demanded Pyongyang demonstrate its sincerity first by taking steps toward denuclearization.

China has been more accommodating toward North Korea, urging South Korea and the U.S. to lower the bar for sitting down at the negotiating table.

The six-party talks, which involve the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Russia and Japan, have been dormant since late 2008.

Baucus, who took over from Gary Locke, laid out three “over-arching goals” during his tenure in China: strengthening bilateral economic relations, partnering with China to tackle global challenges and building strong people-to-people ties.

Baucus also said he will work to establish a “level playing field” with China, while calling for Beijing to respect international human rights standards.

“From my first official visit to China in 1993 to my most recent trip in 2010, I have worked to strengthen ties between our two countries,” Baucus said. “I look forward to continuing to build a stronger relationship.” (Yonhap)