OP-ED: China's North Korea conundrum: How to balance a three-legged stool, By Jonathan D. Pollack, Daily Star, October 27, 2009
A quote:
Officials in Beijing no longer mask their frustrations with North Korea, especially after North Korea's defiance in twice undertaking nuclear tests. The second nuclear detonation occurred less than 100 kilometers from the Chinese border and Pyongyang has disavowed all previously negotiated restraints on its nuclear development. Confronted by the North's egregious misconduct, Beijing has pursued a two-sided approach. It participated fully in UN Security Council deliberations, endorsed the sanctions imposed by the Security Council in mid-June, and is collaborating with the United States and others to implement the sanctions regime. At the same time, China's leaders have permitted harsh criticisms of North Korea in authoritative journals and newspapers that would have been unimaginable in the past. Chinese analysts now write contemptuously of the North and of how its actions have threatened Chinese interests. Some senior officials have also voiced severe, if private, criticisms. By characterizing North Korea as an increasing liability to China, Beijing has sought to deny Pyongyang any political or strategic advantage from its nuclear actions. Though this harsh assessment does not dominate official policy, there seems no doubt of its increased legitimacy and prominence in Chinese internal debate.
As always, everything will proceed on China's schedule, but this tracks with everything I've heard in Beijing and Shanghai--off the record, of course.
(Via WPR Media Roundup)
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Comments (3)
and the main ideology here all involves money. No love for fellow comrades if they get in the way of doing business. China and Russia have clear sighted foreign policies - totally immoral ones, but clear and simple.
Posted by hof1991
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October 30, 2009 9:11 AM
Is there an element of fear in Chinese policy towards N.Korea?
Fear that a reunified Korea would pose a threat of many kinds to Chinese Communist rule? Or party heirarchy ability to skim cream off the top of the market economy inside China?
Do we really know what China and Korea think of each other as we approach 2010? How do they see each other and relationships a decade down the road?
I am totally ignorant of the real relationship or even history of China and N.Korea other than Chines concern over events of Korean War!
Posted by William R. Cumming | October 30, 2009 11:11 AM
My hunch is that it is misleading to talk about "China" as though it were monolithic. I suspect that there are lots of people in the Chinese government who would love to see North Korea disappear, but there are others who probably have skeletons and/or debts that make them defensive about North Korea. Just like the US, there are probably lots of competing interest groups.
Posted by stuart abrams | October 30, 2009 1:27 PM