China can't work alone to bring DPRK back to table
- Source: Global Times
- [10:59 April 17 2009]
China can’t do all the work
China has called for calmness and restraint in dealing with the DPRK after it announced it would quit the six-party talks, which bring together the DPRK, the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russia and China.
Reuters, however, compiled an analysis yesterday, calling China’s response “muted” and saying it reflected the dilemma faced by Beijing as it seeks to “coax Pyongyang back to disarmament talks” while worrying about the DPRK’s political stability.
A scholar at Moscow University, who asked to remain anonymous, yesterday said he highly valued China’s position on dealing with the tricky issue, telling Global Times that “keeping the smooth contact between China and the DPRK is vital to all parties.”
But China can’t work alone, said Shi Yinhong, a regional security expert at the School of International Studies at Renmin University of China. A favorable turn would require diplomatic efforts from the US.
“The DPRK’s action was partly driven by its attempt to attract the attention of the Obama administration and push the US into direct bilateral dialogue and negotiations,” Shi said.
Wu Miaofa, a former counselor of the Chinese Permanent Mission to the UN, told the China Youth Daily yesterday that the DPRK is fully aware of the possible consequences it may face for its actions, but there is some wiggle room left.
“It’s time for the world to observe patiently and wait calmly,” Wu said. “It is time for our wisdom and patience to be tested.”
Wu added that Pyongyang was offended by the failure of the Obama Administration to set a firm policy regarding the DPRK, thereby giving the DPRK leadership the impression that the US is continuing Bush’s legacy, which was viewed as hostile.
Still, China remains determined to renew the six-party nuclear talks, according to Jia Qingguo with the School of International Studies at Peking University.
“If the DPRK does not return to the six-party talks, it will face various sanctions and condemnations from the world community,” he said.
“The talks take the interests of all concerning parties in Northeast Asia into account, not just those of the DPRK and the US,” Shi told Global Times. “And aids to the DPRK are provided by all attending parties.
“But since the UN condemnation was issued, it will be much more difficult for China, at least for some time, to pull the DPRK back to the negotiating table,” Shi noted.
The DPRK’s resolve
The DPRK’s latest move triggered a new round of debate in China.
On sina.com, a major Chinese news portal, about half of the 106,374 poll respondents, as of late last night, supported the DPRK in its expulsion of IAEA inspectors, saying, “The DPRK is showing courage as other countries blame it for peaceful use of outer space.”
And half of the respondents took the stance that the condemnation alone won’t be effective, saying that bringing the DPRK back to the table is the only way to resolve the nuclear issue on the peninsula.
Kang Juan and Liang Chen also contributed to this story