Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Junior]

-would you agree thats what they are effectively doing? Their response seems very confused, to say the least.
Looks like China is the weak link here. they don't want any acton taken against NK, are against sanctions, and will be happy to live with an armed North korea. However they want to be seen to be supporting token UN sanctions, whilst still single-handedly propping up Nk.

China issues warning to North Korea

By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer
15 minutes ago

SEOUL, South Korea - China, which holds the key to whether tough U.N. sanctions will be imposed, warned North Korea Tuesday that its nuclear test would harm relations and called on the United Nations to take "appropriate measures" to get North Korea to relinquish its nuclear weapons.

China's Foreign Ministry vented its anger against its communist ally over the test for a second day, with a spokesman saying that relations had been damaged.

"The nuclear test will undoubtedly exert a negative impact on our relations," the spokesman, Liu Jianchao, said at a routine media briefing. He said Monday's test was done "flagrantly, and in disregard of the international community's shared opposition."

But Liu urged diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis and said that the time was not right for punishment, much less military action.

China has been North Korea's major ally and a source of both food and fuel for the desperately poor nation of 23 million. Behind Beijing's largesse is a fear that a collapsing North Korea could bring U.S. troops stationed in South Korea to China's doorstep, or send refugees pouring across the border, destabilizing the Chinese industrial northeast.

"Taking military action against North Korea would be unimaginable," Liu said. "What we should discuss now is not the negative issue of punishment."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061010/ap_on_re_as/koreas_nuclear

[Ya-ta Boy]

I think Skinner pretty well explained this phenomenon.


It's still unclear if KJI has a bomb, but no matter, China will block any aversive consequences. IOW, the Norks have a green light to do what they want.

Nothing has changed.

China is not yet ready to play seriously with the big boys.

[Kuros]

China is not stupid. They're contained and what they want the US won't let them have. Why should they allow North Korea to be invaded when China will suffer hundreds of thousands of refugees into their most rebellious provinces while America continues to protect Taiwan.

China will very likely punish North Korea through harsh sanctions with an agreement of the Security Council. It's too early to say anything definite.

[Junior]

[mindmetoo]

Remember as long as North Korea poses a threat to China's three major economic competitors, North Korea is highly useful. When South Korea, Japan, and the USA have to keep GDP tied down on military forces, it helps the Chinese compete economically. For every F15 America, Japan, or Korea buys to counter North Korea, that's one less infrastructure project. To wit, a tank just sits there and adds nothing to the economy. A subway train, however, does work for the economy.

The only thing China has to worry about is the North trying to jerk off its leash. If China can't appear to keep one backward, starving vassal state on its leash, why would anyone trust China to host a World Cup or listen to its opinion on international monetary policy?

[EFLtrainer]

China is pissed only because KJI has started to, as mindmetoo stated, pull against the leash. The problem is that China has designs on NK geography and doesn't want too big a mess when acquiring it. If NK begins to act completely independently AND can delivera nuclear payload to Beijing, this is not good for China's ambition to annex all or part of NK.

THUS, if it comes time to take out NK's nuclear and, due to necessity given the instability of the regime there, its military (particularly the MASSIVE amount of artillery pointed at Seoul), Beijing will be on the secret line to Bush saying (in a stage whisper), "Yo! George? Dude! Go for it!! Bomb the hell out of the military and YongByong, OK? No, no... publicly we'll be outraged, but you go, girl! Oh, just... you know... no troops north of the 39th, eh?"

[Zoobot]

mindmetoo... I think it's a little more complicated than that. Tanks may just sit there, but they have to be made. Their production creates jobs, and the spinoff industries of rubber, steel (S.K. is one of the top ten producers of steel in the world) petroleum are also stimulated. And if the tanks are being USED, (blown up etc.), then even better. Economic growth results from the stimulation.

[Ya-ta Boy]

MSNBC is reporting that China will allow sanctions, albeit maybe not as tough as others might like.

[Junior]

[quote="Ya-ta Boy"]