THE LWR PROVISION AND THE NORTH KOREAN NUCLEAR CRISIS: A CHINESE PERSPECTIVE

The provision of the light-water reactor (LWR) has been an outstanding issue during the six-party talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. While the other parties expressed their respect for North Korea regaining its sovereign right to acquire LWR technology in the September 2005 Joint Statement of Principles to denuclearize North Korea, the subject of the LWR provision will be “discussed” at “an appropriate time”—which is subject to different interpretations. Just after the Joint Statement was issued, Washington implied it would “discuss” the LWR subject only after Pyongyang denuclearization which could mean never reaching a provision on the LWR. Pyongyang, however, demands that the LWR provision should be undertaken before any disarmament. This LWR issue would continue to be a big obstacle in the coming six-party talks. In this paper I will first examine what Pyongyang’s motivations are for demanding an LWR provision, taking into account security concerns, political imperatives, and energy security. I will then explore how the six-party talks should resolve the issue of LWR provision and thus negotiate a way out of this nuclear crisis.