Biden Urges China to Rein in North Korea

US President Joe Biden holds a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, on Nov. 14, 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

President Joe Biden said on Nov. 14 that he had urged China to use its influence to rein in North Korea’s missile launches, or the United States would have to “take certain actions that would be more defensive” in response.

Biden made the remarks following his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Indonesia on Monday, the duo’s first in-person meeting since Biden took office last year.

“I’ve made it clear to President Xi Jinping that I thought they had an obligation to attempt to make it clear to North Korea that they should not engage in long-range nuclear tests,” he told a press conference, according to the White House.

Biden said he warned Xi that North Korea’s nuclear test would result in the United States taking defensive actions that will be “more up in the face of China” to safeguard its regional allies.

“We will do what it needs to defend our capacity, to defend ourselves and our allies—South Korea, as well as Japan—and that it would be—we'd be more up in the face of China,” he remarked.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Nov. 14, 2022. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. president said he assured Xi that any defensive measures against North Korea’s provocations “would not be directed against China, but it would be to send a clear message to North Korea.”

But Biden expressed uncertainty about whether China had enough influence to stop the North Korean regime from conducting a nuclear test.

“Well, first of all, it’s difficult to say that I am certain that China can control North Korea,” he said. “I’m confident China is not looking for North Korea to engage in further escalatory means.”

China is a major ally of North Korea, accounting for 90 percent of its bilateral trade. China and Russia had previously vetoed a vote pushed by the United States to strengthen sanctions on North Korea.

Trilateral Cooperation ‘More Aligned Than Ever’

Prior to the G20 summit, Biden attended the ASEAN-East Asia Summit in Cambodia, where he met with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

The leaders held a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the summit and issued a joint statement, vowing “a strong and resolute response” if North Korea launched a nuclear attack while urging North Korea to return to diplomacy.

Biden described Japan and South Korea as “critical allies” of the United States, with their relations becoming “more aligned than ever” in the face of North Korea’s recent spate of missile launches.

The joint statement also cited the stability in the Indo-Pacific and the Taiwan Strait, where China has increased its military buildup.

The three leaders said they “strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in waters of the Indo-Pacific, including through unlawful maritime claims, militarization of reclaimed features, and coercive activities.”