ADRN

The annual meeting on regional peace and stability was overshadowed by growing tensions between the United States and China, as Beijing began live drills near Taiwan following a visit by the U.S. House Speaker to Taipei.

Ministers at the ASEAN Regional Forum warned they must avoid miscalculations that could trigger a greater clash in the region.

Another growing threat to regional stability: North Korea`s nuclear programme.

And at the forum, South Korean and North Korean delegates tmet each other for the first time

We discuss the developments over the weekend with Dr. KIM Yang Gyu, Principal Researcher at the East Asia Institute and Dr. Jeffrey Robertson, Associate Professor of Diplomatic Studies, Yonsei University.

1. Dr. Kim: China conducted live drills near Taiwan following U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi`s visit to Taipei and the Indo-Pacific region last week. The reaction from China was expected but its actions seem to be getting more extreme. Do you see the situation getting more and more unstable? To what lengths do you think China is currently prepared to go to assert itself?

2. Professor Robertson: U.S. allies like Seoul and Canberra would prefer to keep the precarious status quo along the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea but is this becoming less and less likely?

3. Professor Robertson: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, and Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi held separate talks and agreed on the need to minimise miscalculations surrounding Taiwan. What are possible trigger points for a serious conflict in the region?

4~5. To both: Park Jin had a brief encounter with An Kwang-il, North Korea`s top delegate to the ASEAN Regional Forum. Park said there should be unconditional talks between Seoul and Pyeongyang, however An disagreed. Washington has also offered unconditional talks, saying the door is open for diplomacy. Why is North Korea rejecting dialogue?

6. Professor Robertson: Park Jin and Tony Blinken met on the sidelines of ARF and said they talked about all they needed to talk about in their joint response to North Korea. Park Jin said Seoul`s taking a "balanced, comprehensive" approach towards Pyeongyang,... focusing on deterrence and denuclearisation through dialogue and diplomacy. Are we seeing much progress on this front, or is the North Korea agenda still a lower priority amid U.S.-China tensions, and the war in Ukraine?

7. Dr. Kim: Park Jin said Seoul has an `audacious plan` to improve the livelihoods of the North Korean people, if Pyeongyang takes adequate steps towards denuclearisation. President Yoon mentioned this `audacious plan` in his inaugural speech. First, what would the Yoon administration deem as concrete steps towards denuclearising?

What do you think the audacious plan would involve?

8. Dr. Kim: Officials in Seoul and Washington have been talking about a possible 7th nuclear test by North Korea for months but it hasn`t materialised yet. What factors do you think Pyeongyang is considering before it decides to conduct one?

Dr. KIM Yang Gyu, Principal Researcher at the East Asia Institute and Dr. Jeffrey Robertson, Associate Professor of Diplomatic Studies, Yonsei University.

Thank you for your time.