China & North Korea
The Batman & Robin of Asia
The Batman & Robin of Asia
It appears that North Korea is further endearing its self to China via utilizing the method of “Capitalist like” ecomomic ventures with the PRC. In the powerful Washington Post, article “Overtures to China may signal opening of North Korea's economy” we find a clearly defined path moving towards a PRC controlled economic empowerment plan in which “Kim is also attempting to accelerate Chinese investment and has ordered the creation of a State Development Bank. Officials from the new bank told a South Korean professor last week that they intend to allow the construction of foreign-owned factories in major North Korean cities. This would allow Chinese firms, many of which are running short of low-cost factory workers, access to North Korea's pool of low-wage laborers”(1)
The timing for the North Korean shift in policy may be considered
wise; as the DPRK leadership appears to be quite simply fighting for its
nation’s survival. Not even China is comfortable with a nuclear armed
North Korea, and as for the rest of the world “U.N. sanctions are
reportedly limiting the North's ability to profit from weapons sales.
State trafficking in counterfeit cigarettes and illicit drugs appears to
be dwindling. In addition, large-scale food aid from South Korea has
been stopped until Pyongyang agrees to junk its nuclear weapons.”(2)
Some may argue that the relationship between the PRC and the DPRK is
much too long standing and symbiotic in nature for the PRC to allow the
DPRK to crumble. “China has supported North Korea ever since Chinese
fighters flooded onto the Korean peninsula to fight for their comrades
in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in 1950. Since the
Korean War divided the peninsula between the North and South, China has
lent political and economic backing to North Korea's leaders: Kim
Il-Sung and his son and successor, Kim Jong-Il. In recent years, China
has been one of the authoritarian regime's few allies.” (3) And
although Beijing was required to “discipline” their counterparts in
Pyongyang due to their “July 2006 and May 2009 nuclear missile test” (4)
one point of view maybe to consider that the admonishment was strictly
for “show” as China strives to take center stage in world events.
Again the probability of a DPRK collapse may be viewed as minimal;
in fact “Beijing probably anticipates that the U.S. response to more
robust security programs in the region would include an accelerated
missile defense program for U.S. friends and allies. Such an enhanced
missile defense capability would undermine the effectiveness of
Beijing’s missile deployment threat opposite the Taiwan coast, aimed at
keeping Taiwan from acting on its independence aspirations. North Korea
is thus linked
to China’s primary core interest of assuring its “territorial integrity,” which in Beijing’s definition
includes Taiwan. Beijing also realizes that the U.S. focus on the North Korean military threat
generates a hook that keeps U.S. forces tied down on the Korean
peninsula and looking north toward the DPRK rather than looking south
and showing more concern over possible hostilities across the Taiwan
Strait. (5)
The aforementioned statement speaks to the fact the PRC remains
focused on ensuring their national security interests. In closing my
personal perspective views the China and North Korea relationship as the
PRC portraying the role of a powerful “emperor” with the DPRK as its
loyal and capable “general”.
References:
(1) The Washington Post, Overtures to China may signal opening of
North Korea's economy By Blaine Harden Friday, April 2, 2010;
(2) The Washington Post, Overtures to China may signal opening of North Korea's economy By Blaine Harden Friday, April 2, 2010;
(3)http://www.cfr.org/publication/11097/chinanorth_korea_relationship.html
(4) http://www.cfr.org/publication/11097/chinanorth_korea_relationship.html
(5)http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41043.pdf
