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Source: Getty

In The Media

North Korea Missile Threat

In China, Kerry needs to focus on the broader context of the U.S.-China strategic relationship and how North Korea will harm this relationship.

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By Douglas H. Paal
Published on Apr 11, 2013
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Asia

The Asia Program in Washington studies disruptive security, governance, and technological risks that threaten peace, growth, and opportunity in the Asia-Pacific region, including a focus on China, Japan, and the Korean peninsula.

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Source: BBC World News

Speaking with BBC World News, Douglas Paal argued that North Korea is unlikely to change its course of action anytime soon and that the U.S. message is mainly intended for China to reconsider the risks of Kim Jong Un's actions.

Meanwhile, Paal continued, there is not much more that can be done with sanctions at this stage. The primary way that North Korea may alter its course is if Kim Jong Un fails to prove himself as the leader that his grandfather was, by failing to deliver goods, fuel, and food to the North Korean people.

As to Kerry's visit to Asia, Paal noted that the secretary of state needs to reaffirm the U.S. alliance with Seoul and Tokyo. In China, Kerry needs to rise above the short tactical measures preoccupying the Western media and focus on the broader context of the U.S.-China strategic relationship and how North Korea will harm this relationship.

This interview was broadcast on BBC World News.

About the Author

Douglas H. Paal

Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program

Paal previously served as vice chairman of JPMorgan Chase International and as unofficial U.S. representative to Taiwan as director of the American Institute in Taiwan.

    Recent Work

  • Paper
    America’s Future in a Dynamic Asia

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  • Q&A
    U.S.-China Relations at the Forty-Year Mark
      • +1

      Douglas H. Paal, Tong Zhao, Chen Qi, …

Douglas H. Paal
Distinguished Fellow, Asia Program
Douglas H. Paal
SecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyNuclear PolicyArms ControlEast AsiaSouth KoreaChinaJapanNorth Korea

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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