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omonatheydidChina's interest in promoting resolution of nuclear weapons impasse with U.S., UN and Asian nations in question
Performers from Pyongyang Art Troupe, dressed in traditional costumes, pose neat the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing during their tour of China. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il recently finished a visit aimed at bolstering ties with his isolated country's sole major supporter. China's main interest appears to be preventing the reunification of the two Koreas.
North Korea is using China as a transit route as it attempts to dodge international sanctions on its trade in arms and nuclear technology, according to reports in South Korea.
Media reports confirmed by South Korean National Intelligence Service officials say North Korea has changed the names of some of its weapons trading companies and is sending shipments through China using forged invoices in order to evade sanctions ordered by the United Nations Security Council.
What is unclear is whether Beijing and Chinese state-controlled companies are helping North Korea to sell weapons and even nuclear technology to countries such as Iran, Syria and Burma (which the ruling junta calls Myanmar).
At a time when Beijing has tenuous control over its provinces and such offshoots as state-owned arms companies in the Shenyang Military Region bordering North Korea, it is possible that Pyongyang has made deals with Chinese companies and local politicians without the knowledge or approval of the central government.
But at the very least the reports revive questions about the always opaque relationship between China and the regime of Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.
Beijing has established itself as the essential intermediary as the United States, leading Asian nations and the United Nations, press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for aid in developing its collapsed economy.
But there have always been questions about China's genuine interest in promoting a resolution to the impasse over North Korea.
Beijing's true interest often appears to be propping up Kim's regime and avoiding reunification of the two Koreas.
That picture was reinforced last week when Kim journeyed to China to meet President Hu Jintao.
From the official Chinese reports, Kim's main purpose appears to have been to get Hu's approval of plans for Kim, who is ailing after a stroke in 2008, to bequeath the North Korean leadership to his youngest son, Kim Jong Eun.
In roundabout language Hu gave his blessing, which tends to reinforce the view that North Korea is more of a client state of China than Beijing likes to admit.
This display of Beijing and Pyongyang togetherness, often described in official media as being "as close as teeth and lips," did nothing to dispel skepticism in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama that China can be counted on to press North Korea to settle the nuclear-weapons dispute.
Making the point, Kim had only just arrived back home when the United States Treasury Department announced on Monday new sanctions against his regime. The targets are four people and eight organizations.
Some are involved in raising money through arms sales, counterfeiting goods and currency, and narcotics trafficking. Others use these revenues to feed Kim's unquenchable appetite for luxuries.
Targets of the U.S. sanctions include the Namchongang Trading Co., which a few years ago was fingered by the German Customs Bureau for buying equipment needed to build centrifuges used to enrich uranium to make nuclear weapons.
The equipment was being acquired with the aid of China's Shenyang Aircraft Industry Co., just over the border from North Korea.
U.S. officials have asked Beijing for an explanation of these links, but have not received a reply.
It was no doubt a coincidence that on Thursday the commander of the Shenyang Military Region, Zhang Youxia, was visiting Pyongyang and said he would make every effort to further develop cooperation with North Korea.
The latest U.S. embargoes are in response to the sinking in March of a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, with the loss of 46 sailors.
Washington and Seoul say the ship was sunk by a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine, but Pyongyang denies this.
They add to existing UN sanctions, the most recent in response to North Korea's second testing of a nuclear weapon in May last year.
Those sanctions targeted Pyongyang's arms trading companies and gave UN member states the authority to inspect ships and planes suspected to carrying banned cargoes.
To circumvent these embargoes North Korea has changed the names of some of the companies and is routing arms shipments through China.
There are already some mutterings in Washington that embargoes should be extended to China for sanctions busting.
But although the Washington-Beijing relationship is at a markedly low ebb, that would be a dramatic parting of the ways.
Source: vancouversun
Performers from Pyongyang Art Troupe, dressed in traditional costumes, pose neat the Tiananmen Gate in Beijing during their tour of China. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il recently finished a visit aimed at bolstering ties with his isolated country's sole major supporter. China's main interest appears to be preventing the reunification of the two Koreas.
North Korea is using China as a transit route as it attempts to dodge international sanctions on its trade in arms and nuclear technology, according to reports in South Korea.
Media reports confirmed by South Korean National Intelligence Service officials say North Korea has changed the names of some of its weapons trading companies and is sending shipments through China using forged invoices in order to evade sanctions ordered by the United Nations Security Council.
What is unclear is whether Beijing and Chinese state-controlled companies are helping North Korea to sell weapons and even nuclear technology to countries such as Iran, Syria and Burma (which the ruling junta calls Myanmar).
At a time when Beijing has tenuous control over its provinces and such offshoots as state-owned arms companies in the Shenyang Military Region bordering North Korea, it is possible that Pyongyang has made deals with Chinese companies and local politicians without the knowledge or approval of the central government.
But at the very least the reports revive questions about the always opaque relationship between China and the regime of Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang.
Beijing has established itself as the essential intermediary as the United States, leading Asian nations and the United Nations, press North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for aid in developing its collapsed economy.
But there have always been questions about China's genuine interest in promoting a resolution to the impasse over North Korea.
Beijing's true interest often appears to be propping up Kim's regime and avoiding reunification of the two Koreas.
That picture was reinforced last week when Kim journeyed to China to meet President Hu Jintao.
From the official Chinese reports, Kim's main purpose appears to have been to get Hu's approval of plans for Kim, who is ailing after a stroke in 2008, to bequeath the North Korean leadership to his youngest son, Kim Jong Eun.
In roundabout language Hu gave his blessing, which tends to reinforce the view that North Korea is more of a client state of China than Beijing likes to admit.
This display of Beijing and Pyongyang togetherness, often described in official media as being "as close as teeth and lips," did nothing to dispel skepticism in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama that China can be counted on to press North Korea to settle the nuclear-weapons dispute.
Making the point, Kim had only just arrived back home when the United States Treasury Department announced on Monday new sanctions against his regime. The targets are four people and eight organizations.
Some are involved in raising money through arms sales, counterfeiting goods and currency, and narcotics trafficking. Others use these revenues to feed Kim's unquenchable appetite for luxuries.
Targets of the U.S. sanctions include the Namchongang Trading Co., which a few years ago was fingered by the German Customs Bureau for buying equipment needed to build centrifuges used to enrich uranium to make nuclear weapons.
The equipment was being acquired with the aid of China's Shenyang Aircraft Industry Co., just over the border from North Korea.
U.S. officials have asked Beijing for an explanation of these links, but have not received a reply.
It was no doubt a coincidence that on Thursday the commander of the Shenyang Military Region, Zhang Youxia, was visiting Pyongyang and said he would make every effort to further develop cooperation with North Korea.
The latest U.S. embargoes are in response to the sinking in March of a South Korean warship, the Cheonan, with the loss of 46 sailors.
Washington and Seoul say the ship was sunk by a torpedo fired by a North Korean submarine, but Pyongyang denies this.
They add to existing UN sanctions, the most recent in response to North Korea's second testing of a nuclear weapon in May last year.
Those sanctions targeted Pyongyang's arms trading companies and gave UN member states the authority to inspect ships and planes suspected to carrying banned cargoes.
To circumvent these embargoes North Korea has changed the names of some of the companies and is routing arms shipments through China.
There are already some mutterings in Washington that embargoes should be extended to China for sanctions busting.
But although the Washington-Beijing relationship is at a markedly low ebb, that would be a dramatic parting of the ways.
Source: vancouversun
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no subject
Date: 2010-09-18 10:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-18 10:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-18 10:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-18 10:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-18 10:38 pm (UTC)oic China
Date: 2010-09-18 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-18 11:22 pm (UTC)Namchongang Trading Co., which a few years ago was fingered by the German Customs Bureau
It was a good read though.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-19 03:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-19 04:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-19 12:07 pm (UTC)and why on earth would S-Korea want to be friends with North.
no subject
Date: 2010-09-19 08:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-19 08:42 pm (UTC)Neither the USA or Russia wanted to give up full control of the rebuild of germany or korea up to the other. So while it might have made more since to have one country in charge of germany and one in charge of korea they instead agreed to do it this way.