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在线翻译:
szdaily -> Opinion -> 
Miscalculation may abort summit
    2018-05-21  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

Wu Guangqiang

jw368@163.com

THE whole world has been heartened by the latest developments on the Korean Peninsula. A flurry of inter-Korean diplomacy has spelled a dramatic change after the peaking of tensions last year, including the meeting of the top leaders of two Koreas at the truce village of Panmunjom, a commitment to denuclearization by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and a Trump-King summit in Singapore planned for June.

U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a few high-profile tweets trumpeting his personal contribution to the making of peace on the Peninsula, and he even has begun to talk about the prospect of winning a Nobel Peace Prize.

But the whole grand vision may shatter like a mirage within a matter of hours, as North Korea announced on the early morning of May 16 that it had decided to call off high-level talks with Seoul after denouncing U.S.-South Korean military exercises as a provocation.

North Korea’s official media KCNA angrily slammed the “Max Thunder” air combat drills, which were said to involve U.S. stealth fighters and B-52 bombers and were going on as planned despite North Korea’s efforts to achieve peace.

Obviously, the planned Trump-King summit is at stake and so is the prospect of peace on the Korean Peninsula.

In my view, it will not be a big surprise if we soon see the end of the beginning of the peace process. If the process fails, it is not because of Kim’s about-face, but because of Trump’s miscalculation and arrogance, and more importantly, his reputation for tearing up agreements at will.

Trump’s miscalculation is reflected in his incessant tweets on the Korean issues. He never shows any respect for Kim’s sincere desire and efforts to achieve a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula, but instead, he keeps attributing the peace progress to his personal charisma and Washington’s maximum military and economic pressure on North Korea.

As shown to the whole world, Kim has fully demonstrated his goodwill and sincerity since the summit between the top leaders of the two Koreas at Panmunjom. He released three American citizens who had been detained by North Korea, and he has begun to dismantle the nuclear test sites as foreign journalists witness the operation. He warmly received Trump’s special envoy Mike Pompeo, and agreed on the arrangements for the summit with Trump. He has repeatedly expressed his commitment to denuclearization as long as his concerns about the security of his nation are properly addressed. He has done his job.

In contrast to North Korea’s serious attitude toward making peace with South Korea and the U.S., the U.S. has so far shown little sincerity in treating Pyongyang as an equal, to say nothing of achieving permanent peace in the region.

Military exercises jointly conducted by U.S. and South Korean troops have not completely ceased even after North Korea has stopped every move that could increase tension. Instead of creating a favorable climate for the coming summit, Washington keeps saying that North Korea must first give up its nuclear arsenal before anything else.

A condescending and aggressive dictator versus an earnest and jittery order-taker will not make for a good negotiation. An absence of mutual respect and reciprocal treatment will never produce a good and executable agreement.

Implicit in Washington’s attitude toward Pyongyang is the presumption that North Korea has no choice but to give up its nuclear weapons due to America’s extreme pressure, so a beggar can’t be a chooser.

No one would stand for that insult! Besides, no one can exclude the possibility that Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal has discouraged North Korea from talking with the U.S. If agreements or pacts with other nations can be torn up like waste paper by Americans, what’s the point of signing something inked by one American president only to have it be annulled by another?

Whether or not the summit can be held as scheduled and any concrete results can be achieved is up to Trump’s sanity and respect for his partner in the negotiation.

(The author is an English tutor and freelance writer.)

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