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Ben Westcott

Catherine Wong

China will face global pressure to contain North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, analysts say as world leaders gather in the United States for a nuclear security summit that starts on Thursday.
President Xi Jinping is due to arrive in Washington after his state visit to the Czech Republic.
US President Barack Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the summit, but Russia will not be sending a representative.
US hopes China will accept missile defence talks over deployment in South Korea
The summit will have concerns about North Korea high on its agenda.
Officials say preventing nuclear terrorism will be a major topic, but plans to promote nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation will also be discussed.
Ramesh Thakur, director of the Australian National University’s Centre for Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament, said China had a responsibility to exert its leverage over North Korea.
“Unlike Iran, where the US took the lead and China was part of it, here China has to accept the burden of leadership,” Thakur said. “North Korea is already so isolated. How many more sanctions can you put on it?”
The summit takes place weeks after North Korea claimed it had tested a hydrogen bomb in an underground explosion that observers have measured at a magnitude of 5.1.
“China will take this opportunity to reiterate its position that it cannot solve North Korea’s nuclear problem because the two countries are not allies,” said international relations professor Wang Yiwei, of Renmin University in Beijing.
Xi Jinping to attend US nuclear security summit amid tensions over North Korea’s claim to have tested hydrogen bomb
“But China will stress the importance of resuming the six-party talks.”
On Monday, Thomas Countryman, US Assistant Secretary for International Security and Non-proliferation, said China had a vital role to play in the talks.
“We’ve worked together on writing a Security Council resolution to respond to North Korea’s violations and provocations,” Countryman said.
“And we’ve worked together also because we recognise that when Iran or North Korea wants to go shopping for nuclear or ballistic materials, they frequently seek that equipment and technology in the Chinese economy.”
Why does China react so strongly over the South Korea-based anti-missile system?
Thakur said China also needed to be more transparent about its own nuclear reserves.
“Asia is the only continent where nuclear weapon numbers are actually increasing – and unfortunately in Asia, they’re increasing in all countries – Pakistan, China and North Korea included,” he said.


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North Korea nuclear crisis

China’s role ‘vital’ to contain North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, say experts ahead of security summit

Artillery pieces are fired during a military drill in this photo released by North Korean media. The isolated state claims it has tested a hydrogen bomb in an underground explosion. Photo: Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2nd R) visits the February 11 plant at the Ryongsong Machine Complex in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang March 24, 2016. REUTERS/KCNA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA

US offers to brief China on over deployment of THAAD missile system in South Korea

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test by the US military. File photo: Reuters

No Caption Available.

Xi Jinping to attend US nuclear security summit amid tensions over North Korea’s claim to have tested hydrogen bomb

A picture released earlier this month by the North Korean news agency of the test of a rocket launch system. Photo: EPA

Why does China react so strongly over the South Korea-based anti-missile system?

A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. THAAD provides the U.S. military a land-based, mobile capability to defend against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, intercepting incoming missiles inside and outside the earth's atmosphere. REUTERS/U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency/Handout via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

A US soldier stands atop a military humvee at a training ground in Paju on February 8, 2016. Hours after North Korea's long-range rocket launch on February 7, South Korean and US military officials announced they would begin formal discussions on placing the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System (THAAD) on the North's doorstep. REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT - NO ARCHIVES - RESTRICTED TO SUBSCRIPTION USE -- AFP PHOTO / YONHAP

South Korean protesters shout slogans during a rally against their government's military policies near the presidential house in Seoul. Photo: EPA

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