What’s the significance of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il having visited China three times in the past year? For a start it would seem to undermine the common view in the West that China-North Korean relations have deteriorated.
The problem is the view the Western media has on China-North Korea relations often becomes the de facto opinion of the international media, which in turn tends to affect broader perceptions of relations between the two countries.
The mainstream Western view has been that ties between the two are good on the surface, but that underneath, Pyongyang has been pulling away from Beijing. This view is based largely on comments from analysts in South Korea, Japan, the West and North Korean defectors.
The trouble is that the reports on which these views are based are typically one-sided and secretive. They may also not be as balanced and objective as we’d like to believe – certain views can be espoused to drive a wedge between China and North Korea in an effort to further isolate the Hermit Kingdom and push China into becoming more hostile to its neighbour. Certainly this would be in keeping with the strategic objectives of the West and South Korea.
But speaking to analysts and other journalists in China (who are ‘insiders’ on ties rather than their ‘outsider’ counterparts in South Korea), it seems the relationship between the two countries is far healthier than many outsiders imagine.
One incident I learned about underscores the point.
A friend of mine works as a journalist at a Chinese magazine that frequently covers North Korean issues, including the nuclear and succession issues. He’s a well-known writer, but has apparently been harassed by North Korean ‘agents’ several times.
He told me he had been reporting on the food shortage issue in North Korea, and shortly after received a text message from someone claiming to be a North Korean ‘agent.’ This person warned my friend to be careful of slandering North Korea, and more sinisterly, asked him to be careful over his own safety as well.
My friend said this wasn’t the first time this had happened, and added that he had also received a number of phone calls from unknown callers with a distinctive accent. It may sound strange, but for North Korean agents to be this bold, they would almost certainly have received some kind of tacit approval from Chinese authorities. Clearly, Pyongyang isn’t the only place that doesn’t want negative reporting of the situation in North Korea.
During Kim’s most recent visit to China, there was barely any local reporting of what took place, meaning foreign media was left guessing at what was said. The Chinese media has to be extremely careful when reporting on any issue tied to North Korea. On the nuclear issue, for example, reporting has to be consistent, while discussion of Beijing and Pyongyang’s plans to jointly develop a border island on the Yalu River have had to be carefully reviewed before publication. Indeed, some reports weren’t well received in North Korea, prompting the North Korean ambassador to complain to the media authority in China. (North Korea, it seems, has become the key media regulator for Chinese reporting on international news).
China and North Korea are, of course, two separate nations, with sometimes diverging national interests. However, these differences haven’t led to a fundamental split. This hasn’t stopped the West playing up supposed differences. But doing so is both wrong and risky as it can lead the international community to miscalculate, including over the nuclear issue.
Ultimately, China and North Korea are like relatives – they argue from time to time, but in the end they’re closer to each other than anyone else.
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Banchod
and exactly what can china do to stop the norks from making phone calls?
jim1980
Chunshan, I just don’t agree with you on this point. I read South Korean newspapers a lot. There is certainly cool down relationship between China and North Korea. North Korea leaders has asked for a lot of military and food from China for each and every trips, he got basically minimum each time. Sure, Chinese government gave Kim great welcome, but it is basically paid lip service when it comes in term of financial or military support. Even for any financial support, China ask for mineral right or port right in return. Of course, that’s smart on Chinese part.
Duh
Scenario:
2020: US concedes de-facto hegemony of East Asia to China, facilitating the absolishment of the now obsolete anti-US buffer state in favor of a Seoul-led United Korea as a buffer state against re-militarized Japan in the wake of eventual U.S. withdrawal from the region due to burgeoning isolationist stance due to unmanagable overseas commitment, and slow growth at home.
Leonard R.
North Korea is a vassal state of China. It always has been. It always will be.
China uses it as a proxy, a sock puppet.
North Korea’s provocations are Beijing’s provocations. When it attacks, it is the PRC attacking. When little Lang Lang performed at the White House, who was he praising? North Korea. It didn’t matter that he was giving every American family with a Korean War veteran a blood insult. He was doing what Beijing wanted him to do – praising Beijing’s little brother – North Korea.
The PRC feeds it. The PRC arms it. The PRC provides it with weapons technology. And the PRC funds it. So the bottom line here then – is North Korea’s recklessness is Beijing’s recklessness.
It is time for the West to stop being stupid. In the case of North Korea, that begins with attributing anything Pyongyang does – good or bad – to Beijing. That’s where you start.
This is a military problem. It’s not a diplomatic problem. As long as Beijing has a sock puppet – it will use it. And if the West is stupid enough to fall for this Punch & Judy show, who can blame China for using it.
jim1980
Leonard R like to present distorted fact to fit his view. Lang Lang played a piece of music that was popular old Chinese song. Somehow you twisted the fact and said that he is praising North Korea.
“The PRC feeds it. The PRC arms it. The PRC provides it with weapons technology. And the PRC funds it. So the bottom line here then – is North Korea’s recklessness is Beijing’s recklessness.”
South Korea is biggest economic contribute to North from the longest time, before that, it was Soviet Union. Please google “South Korea sunshine policy” before making any more stupid comment. What China did is provide minimum economic support so that North Korea people do not starvation.
William Stone
While this story abounds with rhetoric, from accusations of bias and partisanship to threats (or is it a warning? because there is a huge difference) of potential retaliation, the two kernels of truth are that China and North Korea are “…closer to each other than anyone else” and that “miscalculating” events
The fact of the matter is that North Korea needs China to act as it’s “body-guard”, lest South Korea (with the implied help of “the West”) seek a reunification of the two Korea’s but on the South’s terms. Meanwhile, China needs North Korea deep into it’s pockets enough to ensure a buffer against an area that might otherwise be thought of as a vulnerability in China’s protective posture.
All things on the straight and narrow, I am not surprised by all the poppycock and sabre-rattling that comes out of the China-North Korea realm. I do, however, find these things and the open fear of the West that afflict both China and North Korea to be very entertaining.
Tom
Considering the recent attacks on South Korea by North Korea, and China’s refusal to point any of the blame at the hermit kingdom would suggest that the ties are still strong. On top of that China gave billions of dollars in aid to North Korea hours before South Korea’s drills that Kim Jong Il claimed would lead to war.
However the story of a threatening text message doesn’t prove anything, and it is worth considering that top Chinese officials did not meet with Kim during his most recent trip.
http://seeingredinchina.com
kosta
Here is an objective view of North Korea..
http://redkorea.wordpress.com/