Bridge the gap

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will pay a four-day state visit to China this coming Wednesday at President Xi Jinping’s invitation. It will be his first trip to the country since taking office in May.
The top item on their summit agenda is North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, which have reached a critical stage after Pyongyang test-fired an apparent intercontinental 
ballistic missile last week and conducted its most powerful nuclear test on September 3.
Moon must demand Xi put stronger pressure on the North, as now is the time for the international community to act against Pyongyang in unison. Pressure until it cannot keep up the programmes any more is the only realistic way to resolve the North Korea issue without war, and the whole world knows China holds the key to such pressure. Moon must emphasise that something bold, such as China’s suspension of its oil supply to the North, needs to be carried out to bring Pyongyang to the negotiation table.
Although China grumbles that it has done enough, it needs to understand clearly that the goal of pressure is not to bring down the country but to prevent the peninsula from taking the course of an armed clash.
Beijing should also know that North Korea’s completion of its nuclear missile programme will never be good for China, either, because it can lead to nuclear armament of South Korea and Japan, which it opposes.
At the summit, both leaders must narrow their differences over the question of pressuring the North.
The North Korea issue has reached a critical point in which words like a nuclear war are mentioned openly even in China. The US Central Intelligence Agency is said to have warned President Donald Trump that there is only a “three-month window” in which the US can halt North Korea’s ICBM programme. Undoubtedly the first target of a North Korean missile is South Korea. Moon must not evade straight talk about the North Korea problem to foster a friendly atmosphere in the 
summit.
The international community will be watching the summit with great expectations for a South Korea-China solution to stop Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes and 
prevent a pre-emptive US 
attack on North Korea.
Moon and Xi must also remove differences between their countries over the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence antimissile system. South Korea understands that conflicts over the system are over, with an agreement to normalise bilateral ties, while China does not seem to see things the same way. Whether the row has ended is still in doubt, considering senior Chinese officials’ remarks and state media reports demanding the withdrawal of the system from Korea and China’s partial lifting of the ban on group tours to Korea. Seoul does not want Beijing to raise 
an issue with the system, but cannot exclude the possibility of Xi bringing it up during the summit.
Restrictions on group tours and all other retaliations should be lifted through Moon’s state visit. Moon must note the ongoing retaliation against Lotte, the company which offered a site for the system, and obtain a definite promise to stop the retaliation.
South Korea and China can get back on track for a new era only after scores are completely settled over the system. Bringing the issue into conversation will throw a wet blanket over efforts to normalise ties. Beijing should know that Seoul will not need the system if there is no North Korea’s missile threat.
South Korea and China are partners indispensable to each other in many ways. Moon’s upcoming state visit to China should serve as an occasion for the two countries to build 
mutual trust.
Xi has vowed to contribute to world peace and stability whenever he gets the chance, but if he weighs only the interests of his country, his vow will be nothing but lip service and hypocrisy.
The summit must open up a way to bridge the gap between the two leaders.