(Bloomberg) -- President Xi Jinping said China would prevent a conflict on the Korean Peninsula, a measured response to global leaders who have been pushing his country to play a bigger role in curbing tensions over North Korea’s cooperation with Russian military.
China does not “allow conflict and turmoil to happen on the Korean Peninsula” and it will not “sit idly by when its strategic security and core interests are under threat,” Xi told US President Joe Biden at a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Lima, Peru.
Xi’s comments come ahead of the Group of 20 Summit in Brazil, which starts this week. Ukraine’s allies will look to pressure China over North Korea’s growing support for Russia’s war during the summit, according to people familiar with the matter. Kim Jong Un has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia to fight alongside Vladimir Putin’s troops in the Kursk region.
Read: Ukraine Allies to Push China on Russia-North Korea Ties at G-20
At the meeting with Xi, Biden expressed concern over North Korea’s troop move. While China has been supporting Russia and North Korea, Xi has sought to portray Beijing as neutral regarding the war in Ukraine and has pushed to improve ties with the US and its allies.
Xi told Biden that China has been always “fair” in engaging in the war in Ukraine and has pursued “shuttle diplomacy” to seek peace.
The Chinese leader didn’t elaborate on Beijing’s policy regarding North Korea and Russia.
China has publicly remained muted on North Korea’s troop dispatch to Russia, a sign it’s unhappy with Kim adding risks to the geopolitical landscape. North Korea has also shipped million of rounds of artillery ammunition and other weapons to Russia.
On Friday, Xi met with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in Lima and said he doesn’t want to see geopolitical tensions in Korea and called for a peaceful solution, Yonhap News reported. Yoon urged Xi to play a “constructive role” in resolving geopolitical tensions, Yonhap said.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also met with Xi earlier in Lima, where they “exchanged views on the situation regarding North Korea,” according to a statement from Japanese Foreign Ministry.
--With assistance from Erica Yokoyama and Jing Li.
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