In this photo provided by China's Xinhua News Agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping, center, and his wife Peng Liyuan, center right, wave as they arrive at the international airport in Macau, south China, Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. Chinese President Xi is in Macau to attend celebrations marking the 15th anniversary of its return to China which falls on Saturday, Xinhua reported. (Xinhua, Cheong Kam Ka)
Tom Phillips, The Guardian: China is angry, but what can it do about North Korea?
Xi Jinping has few options to bring Kim Jong-un into line but he also has to contend with the unpredictable Donald Trump
On Friday afternoon, the eve of North Korea’s most powerful ever nuclear test, China’s football-loving president received a gift from the world’s greatest ever player.
“Good luck,” read the handwritten message from Pelé on a canary yellow Brazil jersey handed to Xi Jinping by his South American counterpart, Michel Temer.
Xi needs it. Experts say Kim Jong-un’s latest provocation – which some believe was deliberately timed to upstage the start of the annual Brics summit in China – exposes not only the scale of the North Korean challenge now facing China’s president but also his dearth of options.
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WNU Editor: The Chinese are not concerned about an unpredictable Donald Trump .... on this issue President Trump has been very blunt and straightforward on what he believes needs to be done on North Korea (complete and total sanctions). The problem is that the Chinese gave him assurances when President Xi and President Trump met in April that their approach will succeed in reigning in North Korea, and what they needed was time and patience from President Trump to accomplish it (they requested 100 days .... which President Trump gave them) .... Report: Chinese President Xi Asked For A '100-Day Grace Period' On North Korea (May 22, 2017). Where the Chinese failed is that they overestimated how much North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un trusted them (he does not trust them at all), and their belief that they could resolve the crisis through diplomacy and minor economic sanctions (which only unleashed Kim Jong-Un to accelerate his nuclear and missile programs). The end result .... a nuclear test .... and probably a hydrogen-bomb test at that. And for Chinese President Xi .... this has become a major Chinese foreign policy disaster, and (more important to him) a loss of face to the American President. And all of this happening with the BRIC summit underway right now at Xiamen (Fujian, China), and ahead of the big Chinese Communist Party Conference (that happens every 5 years) next month in Beijing where his opponents now have something to chew on. Chinese President Xi is not angry .... oh no ... he is not angry at all. He and his allies are f___ing furious.
4 comments:
Hard to believe this test and the development of a Hydrogen bomb took China by surprise. As a minimum for their long time and continued support I would have thought China would have imposed a few ambassadors with "technical" experience to avoid surprises on the North Koreans.
So you think North Korea's leader - a guy not even 30 - is playing Xi, Trump, Jae-in and Abe?
Do you really think that's what's happening here? Kim Jong Un not only having the balls, but also the expertise in handling all of his adversaries, and risking his life in the meantime while pursuing nukes? And keeping his generals in check? All by himself?
Or do you maybe see two of those leaders are working together, hand in hand, and that's why he succeeds and doesn't seem to be worried about his generals any longer?
I happen to believe China is helping them.
Why?
1) Because -actions- matter more than -acting- outraged.
China's actions: still helping north Korea financially. Still helps them militarily. Still protects them by stating war will not be tolerated.
Then there's motivation.
China has a lot to win here. Maybe they cut a deal with Kim that he can have nukes. Maybe that's a good way for him to stay in power (yes it is), and for China to be able to keep the US from establishing a pro- western government (that checks out too!). Maybe they also hope that North Korea actually manages to mule a US city. My bet is on SF. Trillions at stake and guaranteed Chinese century.
Common.
You're a smart Cookie. But on the China issue you seem to ignore all the actions and motives and who benefits, and get distracted by acting.
I was being sarcastic.
Bob. .I wasn't referring to you, but WNU :)
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