The United Nation Security Council passed the resolution 1718 against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to the recent nuclear weapon test. According to the International Crisis Group, the resolution 1718 is the strongest and harshest United Nations action on North Korea since the 1950 Korean War.
The resolution 1718 demands that Kim Jong-Il and his regime ”not to conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile”. It asks state members to impose sanctions against North Korea. All state members should, but are not required to inspect cargo in and out of North Korea. Since the resolution was passed, nations such as South Korea refused to comply with the United Nation Security Council’s requests. This fallout has proved that the Security Council’s latest attempt at sanctions does not work. The United Nations is ineffective in solving and taking action against such an aggressive and authoritarian state. China is still trading with DPRK as if nothing had happened. The current superpower, the United States, can not do anything to stop North Korea. President Bush and the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have been traveling around the world to persuade foreign leaders to support resolution 1718. But, not many nations want to do what the United States is asking. Freezing North Korea’s financial accounts does not seem that North Korea is planning to do what Resolution 1718 demands. However, there is only one country that can stop North Korea from developing more nuclear weapons.
So who can stop North Korea? China.
China, the first nation to learn about Pyongyang’s nuclear weapon test, is the only nation that can stop North Korea from creating more lethal and biological weapons. China is the main ally to Jong-Il. According to the CIA World Fact Book, 32 percent of goods imported to North Korea were from China in 2004. On the other hand, North Korea exported forty percent of its goods to China in the same year. As you can see, China is the main source of income and survival for North Korea. Without China, just imagine how devastated Jong-Il and his people would be. North Korea has been facing food shortages. Many North Koreans have died due to starvation. China has provided Pyongyang with food and oil. Due to the high level of threat of its nuclear program from North Korea, China has been reducing its humanitarian aid to Pyongyang since September 2006. Since October 9th 2006, many nations, such as the United States are counting on China to bring North Korea back to the six-party talks on nuclear weapons. This is the perfect time for China to show that it can be the next superpower. If North Korea has agreed to come back to the six-party table, China will be recognized and gain a new reputation in the eyes of many states’ leaders. However, China has placed itself in a difficult situation. It has to please both North Korea and the U.S allies.
What’s like to be China?
Let me give you a clearer picture. If China failed to satisfy the United States, it could potentially lose its foreign investors. President Hu Jintao does not want to do that because the country is developing faster than any nation with its Gross Domestic Product of eight to twelve percent a year. On the other hand, if North Korea collapses, there will be massive influx of North Korean refugees. These refugees can potentially create job competition and high unemployment for Chinese workers. Last week, North Korean announced to test its nuclear weapons again sometime in December and early next year. From now on, President Jintao and his officials must be very careful and take every action wisely because any aggressive measures on North Korea can lead to a second nuclear weapon test near Chinese border. The future of China is on Jintao. It is up to him find a way to deal with North Korea that would benefit his country and makes it a win-win situation for his country.
So far, China has not been as aggressive as other nations such as the United States and Japan. The reason is simple. It does not want to put any more pressure on Jong-Il that may want him to launch a nuclear missile at China. According to a recent report by the New York Times, the Chinese custom agents do not inspect cargoes that come in and out of North Korea effectively due to its 700-mile border and small number of custom agents. Micheal Rank from NKzone.org reported that Chinese businessmen and North Korean officials are still continuing with their plans to build ports in the border of city Hunchun (North Korea) despite the sanctions. This proves that China still wants to maintain its economic relations with North Korea, even after its surprising approval of the U.N resolution 1718. At the same time, China is a persuader for the Americans and its allies to convince North Korea to come back to the six-party talks. In return for making Jong-Il come back to the table, China is now becoming the next “super-global power.” Jintao’s government demonstrates to the world that a communist nation like China can have an important role in the international policies and decision-making. Therefore, no one, including to the United States, should underestimate the power of China because one day, it will take away the U.S’s title of “superpower.”
Because of China’s effort to bring DPRK back to the six-party talks, we, as global citizens, should expect the changes in U.S foreign policies towards China. It could be that Bush would allow China to become more involved in the U.S market than it is right now. Soon, China will become the one of world’s most influential economic powers. In terms of North Korea, China is the only key state actor that has capability to persuade North Korea in to do that the world’s hegemonic nation wants. Everything is all about China. Without this red state,North Korea would have probably launched its weapons to the U.S and other soils.
