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Why China can't persuade N.Korea alone

By Global Times (Global Times)

09:18, March 19, 2012

Photo released by Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 15, 2012 shows leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (Front) inspects a combined strike drill of the three services of the Korean People's Army. (Photo: Chinanews.com)

Pyongyang announced Friday its plan to launch a satellite next month, setting off another round of condemnation from South Korea, Japan and the US. China summoned North Korea's ambassador to China to express its concerns. A sense of nervousness is seemingly shrouding the Korean Peninsula.

China appears to be put in an awkward position every time Pyongyang makes a surprise move. It has to maintain a balance between preventing radical actions in the Peninsula and keeping friendly ties with North Korea.

Pyongyang is acquiring a stronger nuclear ability and strategic striking power despite daunting external pressure.

Seoul, Tokyo and Washington are hoping China exert more pressure on North Korea. They are counting on the fact that China can eventually bring Pyongyang to its knees.

But it's a flawed logic. China should distance itself from the policy these three countries insist on. They need to answer the question of why the financially strapped North Korea is obsessed with developing strategic weapons, and why it barely cares about the condemnation from international community.

The reason is simple: North Korea feels insecure.

It has long been haunted by a fear of outside invasion or intervention. It needs nuclear weapons and missile power to be able to strike US territory to prevent any external threats.

As long as South Korea, Japan and the US do not give North Korea a sense of security, it will not stop lashing back at them.

Pyongyang, left behind on Northeast Asia's road to prosperity, has been turning a deaf ear to the criticism. With decades-old sanctions still in effect, it has nothing more to lose.

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（Editor：梁军）

Leave your comment10 comments

Ron at 2012-03-2760.18.110.*: For North Korea the war has never ended and will never end. A negotiated peace would mean defeat in their view. What is China going to do when North Korea starts WWIII ?
PD User at 2012-03-2675.175.213.*: koreans in china would be of enormous value in helping rebuild a despondent haiti
Uir at 2012-03-2324.215.200.*: Absolutely NK needs to get out of the "Hermit Kingdom" status as it is being left behind.
Arthur Borges at 2012-03-22219.150.142.*: Gee, after what happened to Iraq and Libya when they abandoned superweapons, Pyongyang would be foolish to let go of its nuclear program.
Motive, motive, motive at 2012-03-20220.255.1.*: The west is never really interested in resolving the so called North Korea issue especially on the reunification.They always do war game during so called negotiation knowing it will antagonise the North and leading the talk to nowhere. They will put unreasonable condition for a fraction of the money they threw at their too big to fail company.Reason we suspect is to know how far the North nuclear program are and where is the facility located. Comes time to act they will create it. If there is reunification the west will loose out. They cannot sell arms to the region especially the rich Japanese and South Korean and put troops there to whip up the atmosphere.The North are basically like you and me except the sanction that devastated them causing this exasperated and hated response.