If North Korea is running an account surplus, this is bad news for all of us in the west. The fact that I find most troubling is that the North Korean government seems to have China, the world's fastest growing economy and a leader in international trade, backing their operations. Chinese journalists speculate that their country's support of North Korea is a strategy of coercion aimed at the US. It has been asserted by the Chinese media that "any move Pyongyang makes is influenced... by Beijing". The Chinese backing of North Korea is somewhat indirect; reluctance to fully comply with foreign sanctions, for instance. The North -South Korea conflict is reminiscent of the Cold War: Two of the world's most powerful nations, armed to the teeth and ready for war, are covertly backing smaller but still significant nations with opposing regimes. With everyone's livelihoods on the line, nobody wants to fire the first shot, but there's no denial that things are tense and the future looks even tenser. This time around, though, the conflict concerns more than just ideology and there are many geopolitical factors to be considered. This situation will remain closely monitored, of course, but more of the blame for the hostility should be directed at China. Without Chinese support, North Korea would fall apart. What that would mean for the rest of the world is unclear, but what is clear is that the two countries depend on one another: North Korea for financial support and China for ideological support. This alliance may benefit the two nations concerned, but this alliance is troubling to the rest of the world and stands as an obstacle if China and the US ever want to truly become allies. Source: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHIN-03-150313.html
If North Korea is running an account surplus, this is bad news for all of us in the west. The fact that I find most troubling is that the North Korean government seems to have China, the world's fastest growing economy and a leader in international trade, backing their operations. Chinese journalists speculate that their country's support of North Korea is a strategy of coercion aimed at the US. It has been asserted by the Chinese media that "any move Pyongyang makes is influenced... by Beijing". The Chinese backing of North Korea is somewhat indirect; reluctance to fully comply with foreign sanctions, for instance. The North -South Korea conflict is reminiscent of the Cold War: Two of the world's most powerful nations, armed to the teeth and ready for war, are covertly backing smaller but still significant nations with opposing regimes. With everyone's livelihoods on the line, nobody wants to fire the first shot, but there's no denial that things are tense and the future looks even tenser. This time around, though, the conflict concerns more than just ideology and there are many geopolitical factors to be considered. This situation will remain closely monitored, of course, but more of the blame for the hostility should be directed at China. Without Chinese support, North Korea would fall apart. What that would mean for the rest of the world is unclear, but what is clear is that the two countries depend on one another: North Korea for financial support and China for ideological support. This alliance may benefit the two nations concerned, but this alliance is troubling to the rest of the world and stands as an obstacle if China and the US ever want to truly become allies.
ReplyDeleteSource: http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHIN-03-150313.html