Chinese VP marks Korean armistice

By Ling Yuhuan and Park Gayoung Source:Global Times Published: 2013-7-25 0:58:01

China's Vice President Li Yuanchao will kick off a four-day visit on Thursday to North Korea to attend a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War (1950-53).

Experts say China is sending an unusually high-ranking official to show its goodwill in an effort to improve cool bilateral relations in the wake of Pyongyang's nuclear test in February.

The Chinese foreign ministry announced on Wednesday that Li, who holds a seat on the 25-member Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, will lead a delegation to attend commemorative events in North Korea.

The Korean War is referred to as the "Fatherland Liberation War" in North Korea, and the Armistice Day on July 27 is celebrated as a day of victory.

While China sent forces to fight alongside North Korean troops, the US and other UN member states fought on the side of South Korea.

The last time a Chinese official of a similar rank visited North Korea was about three years ago, when Zhou Yongkang, who was a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, visited Pyongyang in October 2010, according to Reuters.

"The senior rank of the official sent indicates that Beijing is using the anniversary as an opportunity to warm relations with Pyongyang after a cold spell following Pyongyang's third nuclear test in February," Lü Chao, a research fellow at the Liaoning Academy of Social Science, told the Global Times.

"Through this visit, it is expected that China will use the opportunity to resolve problems on the Korean Peninsula," Kim Heungkyu, a political science professor at Seoul-based Sungshin University, said Wednesday at a forum on the 60th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement.

At the forum, Chinese and South Korean experts widely acknowledged that some changes had been observed in China's stance after the third nuclear test by North Korea but were divided over their level of significance.

Cheng Xiaohe, a professor at the Renmin University of China, said that China's North Korea policies as well as public opinion have changed in recent months.

"The Chinese government now treats North Korea with a tougher stance and the Chinese public is not as friendly as it used to be," Cheng said.

"It's already beyond tactical changes; the strategic change has already begun," Kim said.

However, Lü said the visit has to some extent refuted the argument in academia and the media that China has fundamentally changed its policies toward the North.

Lü noted that Li's trip may also be perceived as a reciprocal move by China after North Korea sent Kim Jong-un's special envoy Choe Ryong-hae to Beijing in May.

North Korea has kicked off a series of gymnastic performances, major concerts, festivals, and cultural events to mark the anniversary this week, AFP reported, also stating that commemorative events will culminate with a large military parade taking place on Saturday.

South Korea and the US also plan to observe the anniversary this week.

Lü noted that sending such a high-ranking official like Li to attend the North's ceremony may be an act to affirm the significance of China's decision to send troops to fight alongside North Korea during the Korean War, though people in Chinese academia and the media still have divided opinions over the original decision.

"Fighting on the side of North Korea was forced upon China by the US, which adopted hostile policies against China during that period," he added.



Posted in: Diplomacy

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