U.S., China Agree to Find a U.N. Solution for dealing with North Korea

The United States and China have met to discuss how they should handle North Korea after the country carried out an unsanctioned nuclear test on Jan. 6. After five hours behind closed doors, little progress was made.

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi agreed at least that something should be done. Both sides stated that there is a need to create a new United Nations Security resolution that will target North Korea. However, nothing concrete was decided upon.

"Kim Jong Un's actions are reckless, and they are dangerous," Kerry said firmly. "Whether or not he achieved the explosion of a hydrogen weapon is not what makes the difference. It's that he is trying. North Korea poses an overt threat, a declared threat, to the world, and it has stated its intention to develop a thermonuclear weapon."

Kerry added, "The U.S. will do what is necessary to protect the people of our country and our friends and allies in the world. All nations, particularly those who seek a global leadership role or have a global leadership role, share a fundamental responsibility to meet this challenge with a united front."

Although Wang stated that China is also committed to ending nuclear tests in the Korean peninsula, he added that peace and stability are vital as well.

"The commitment to uphold peace and stability. The commitment to resolve the issue through dialogue and consultation," Wang said. "China will act in a responsible manner. In the meantime, we must point out the new resolution should not provoke new tension in the situation, still less destabilize the Korean Peninsula."

Despite agreeing that measures need to be taken, Beijing, who is an ally to North Korea, continues to appear to be reluctant on agreeing to increase sanctions on North Korea.

"Sanctions are not an end of themselves," Wang said.

China's news agency, Xinhua, reported via Reuters that it was "unrealistic to rely merely on China to press the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] to abandon its nuclear program, as long as the U.S. continues an antagonistic approach wrought from a Cold War mentality. ...Bear in mind that China-DPRK ties should not be understood as a top-down relationship where the latter follows every bit of advice offered by the former."

Bonnie Glaser, who is a senior advisor for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, explained why agreeing to tougher sanctions might not work out in China's favor.

Glaser said, reported by the Los Angeles Times, ""hey play out in their minds, what are the consequences if they really agree to very tough sanctions - if they cut off oil deliveries to North Korea?" she added. "So that creates instability in North Korea most likely, then China ends up with a crisis on its border that potentially brings U.S. troops closer to China, and you end up with a worse situation than when you started."

China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, can vote to block any measures targeting North Korea.

Since the nuclear test, the U.S. and several other countries have condemned North Korea for continuing to carry out these tests. Beijing also expressed anger over the most recent test but did not appear to put extra pressures onto North Korea to end these tests.

Kerry and Wang noted that the details would be further discussed at the U.N. Security Council.