China did not condemn North Korean missile launches after Wang Yi’s visit to Seoul
China did not condemn North Korea’s launch of more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles, carried out several hours after Foreign Minister Wang Yi concluded a two-day visit to Seoul. South Korea and Japan called the launches a provocation, while China’s Foreign Ministry said the following day that it had taken note of the reports and had no further comment.
According to the South China Morning Post, the missiles were launched into the sea east of the Korean Peninsula. Analysts believe Beijing’s restrained response indicates that Chinese authorities prioritize the stability of the regime in Pyongyang over the rapid denuclearization of North Korea.
Wang Yi’s statements in Seoul
During meetings in Seoul, Wang Yi urged South Korea to pursue strategic autonomy, avoid choosing sides in the rivalry between China and the United States, and move toward peaceful coexistence with North Korea. He also called on Washington to abandon the policy that Beijing describes as hostile toward Pyongyang.
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At the same time, the Chinese diplomat did not support Seoul’s proposal for multilateral talks involving North Korea. Lee Sung-hyon, a senior fellow at the George H. W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, said that the missile launches demonstrated the limits of Beijing’s diplomatic engagement with both Korean states, as well as its ability or willingness to restrain North Korea.
Priority on regime stability
Lee drew attention to the systematic absence of references to denuclearization in China’s official statements. According to him, a similar trend emerged during Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang in June: he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un spoke about strategic coordination and economic cooperation without mentioning North Korea’s nuclear program.
The analyst described Beijing’s approach as managing the reality of North Korea’s nuclear status: the stability of its regime, bilateral coordination, and US-China rivalry, in this assessment, carry more weight than the near-term prospect of disarmament. At the same time, China fears the collapse of the North Korean regime, a flow of refugees at the border, and the possibility that a conflict could strengthen military cooperation among the United States, South Korea, and Japan.
