Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a phone call with Trump on Monday that China opposes anything that runs counter to U.N. Security Council resolutions and that all sides should avoid doing anything to worsen tensions, state media reported.
Xi’s own hands are tied in terms of how dramatic a shift he can make on North Korea, because he faces domestic political considerations. The Chinese leader wants stability ahead of a key Communist Party congress this fall.
“Yes, China can do more and should keep up the multilateral sanctions, but at the same time it would be overreaching to conclude that somehow China through sanctions alone can get the North Koreans alone to change behavior,” said Zha Daojiong, professor at Peking University’s School of International Studies. He noted that North Korea’s access to the ocean potentially allows trade with other parts of the world, especially on black markets.
Analysts were also quick to point out that China said more but has actually done little so far on the economic front. The value of imports and exports between North Korea and China in the first two months of this year actually rose nearly 7.6 percent from the same period last year, according to China Customs data.
Part of the problem is China has less control over its trade with North Korea than it appears.
“You’re looking at some pretty lucrative business partnerships” due to high risks that elevate prices, said John Park, director of the Korea Working Group at the Harvard Kennedy School. “Even if the Chinese authorities were serious about implementing (sanctions), because of the challenge of corruption at local levels, implementation is a different ballgame altogether.”
— Reuters contributed to this report.
