China and South Korea urge North Korea to resume nuclear talks

Beijing signals displeasure with North during four-day summit with Pyongyang's southern neighbour

The leaders of China and South Korea called for North Korea to resume negotiations on its nuclear disarmament after a meeting in which they discussed ways to draw their isolated and erratic neighbourback into dialogue with the outside world.

The summit in Beijing marked the beginning of a four-day visit by South Korea's new president, Park Geun-hye. It also came at a time when China, Pyongyang's biggest ally and longtime benefactor, has signalled unusual displeasure with the North after it recently carried out a missile launch and nuclear test and issued a barrage of provocative rhetoric despite Beijing's protests.

"We shared an understanding that North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons cannot be tolerated under any circumstances," Park said at a joint news conference with China'sPresident Xi Jinping. Xi said that he and Park had agreed to work together on matters related to the North, but put his emphasis on the need for Pyongyang to restart six-nation talks on nuclear disarmament.

In the days before the meeting, Park made clear that North Korea was her overriding concern, telling South Korean media that she would try to boost cooperation with China "so as to make North Korea come forward for sincere talks". Underlining her hope of stronger economic ties, Park was accompanied by executives from South Korea's biggest companies, including Samsung, LG and Hyundai Motors. The unusually large 71-member business contingent highlights the huge volume of trade between the two countries – $215bn last year – and South Korea's status as one of the few nations to post a trade surplus with China.

Many analysts say China is using the meetings with Park to signal its displeasure with North Korea and increase pressure on the government there. Many note that Park is meeting Xi before North Korea's young new leader, Kim Jong-un, has had an opportunity to do so.

A visit by Kim to Beijing has not been possible given the recent chill in relations between China and the North, said Zhang Liangui, a North Korea expert at the Central Party School in Beijing.

"If the leaders of the two countries cannot agree on important issues, there cannot be a successful or a fruitful visit," Zhang said.

Chinese officials are unlikely to abandon North Korea any time soon, fearful of the instability, swarms of refugees and US-friendly Korean government that might ensue on its doorstep.

Still, after North Korea's nuclear test this spring, China agreed to increased sanctions on its ally and cut off access for some North Korean banks.

"In the past, Chinese residents had some sympathy towards North Korea, more or less, but right now Chinese are very disappointed and feel North Korea is almost laughable," said Jin Canrong, an international relations professor at Renmin University in Beijing. In the past, Jin added, China was reluctant to publicly discuss North Korean issues with the South or the United States, out of consideration for its ally's feelings. "But now, China doesn't care what North Korea thinks at all and discusses these agendas openly in public," he said.

This article was published in the Guardian Weekly, which incorporates material from the Washington Post