Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced plans to hold the Jan. 16 meeting on North Korea during his visit to Ottawa last month. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
Bloomberg: China, Japan Criticize Canada’s Bid to Play North Korea Mediator
* Key countries omitted from guest list for Vancouver conference
* Neighbors are both central to ongoing efforts to pressure Kim
Two of North Korea’s closest neighbors have criticized Canada’s effort to help coordinate the international response to Kim Jong Un’s weapons program.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said Wednesday that an upcoming Canadian-organized meeting on North Korea would “not help” because it didn’t include key players, adding that it would “harm joint efforts to improve the situation on the peninsula.” Japan, South Korea, India and Sweden are among those invited. China and Russia -- who supported the North Korea side during the war -- were not.
Meanwhile, a Japanese foreign ministry official questioned the need for including countries as distant as Colombia and Greece.
Read more ....
Update #1: China heaping scorn on North Korea meeting next week in Vancouver (CBC)
Update #2: Russia, China shut out of Canadian conference on Korea – value of meeting questioned (Ottawa Citizen).
WNU Editor: The Japanese criticism is not a surprised. They are still smarting over this incident .... In wake of Trudeau's summit no-show, Japan raises possibility of a Trans-Pacific Partnership without Canada (National Post).
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