Avoid conflict in Korean peninsula

The American diplomatic dichotomy couldn’t have been starker as far as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s approach towards North Korea is concerned. On the one hand Tillerson said North Korea has nothing to fear from the US or its allies. On the other hand, he suggested that US military action against North Korea was an option.
Tillerson is on a visit to China, which is a close ally of North Korea. Beijing has long held that Pyonyang pursued nuclear weapons out of fear that the US wanted to topple the regime established by Kim’s grandfather after World War II. The US wants China to crack down on banks and other businesses that provide an economic lifeline to Kim Jong un’s regime despite United Nations sanctions. But China has favored a softer touch, fearing an economic collapse in North Korea would spur a refugee crisis and put a US ally on its border.
Tillerson wants China to do more to rein in North Korea citing pariah nation’s advancing ballistic-missile technology. But what is making Tillerson’s job difficult is Trump’s continuous China bashing. Even as Tillerson is visiting Beijing, Trump tweeted, “North Korea is behaving very badly. “They have been ‘playing’ the United States for years. China has done little to help!”
Almost 20 years of US policy towards North Korea have failed to convince Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. Now US should focus on devising new approach to contain Kim’s nuclear ambition. What has made the situation tricky is the deployment of US missile system THAAD in South Korea. It has irked China, which sees THAAD as a threat to its military capabilities. Beijing says that THAAD sophisticated radar system will peer into Chinese territories. South Korea is facing opposition from inside the country too. Some South Koreans are worried about Chinese economic retaliation as well as some environmental and safety concerns. The dispute over missile system has put limits on Chinese tourists to South Korea, while South Korean shops have had operations in China suspended for alleged fire safety breaches.
China is North Korea’s most powerful ally and dominant trading partner. And so Beijing’s role to persuade Pyongyang to change its course is paramount. But the deployment of THAAD has complicated the situation. Given US refusal to withdraw THAAD, Tillerson has little room for diplomatic maneuvering. US top envoy has nothing much to offer to China in return for greater cooperation on North Korea. Trump’s administration has also rebuffed a Chinese proposal to suspend annual military drills with South Korea in exchange for a halt to Kim’s nuclear program. Further, Tillerson has criticized China’s economic retaliation against the South over missile system.
In this conflict-ridden political environment, Trump administration should engage in coercive diplomacy aimed at deflecting North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile program. The US must stop making provocative threats and refusing to negotiate with Kim’s regime. The international community needs to weave a web of pressure and talks to address growing North Korean nuclear threat. The military escalation in Korean peninsula will bring no good to anyone.