China Says It Won’t Forsake North Korea, Despite Support for U.N. Sanctions

[Purveyor]

Source: New York Times

By JANE PERLEZ
Published: March 9, 2013

BEIJING — China’s foreign minister said Saturday that Beijing would not abandon North Korea, reiterating China’s longstanding position that dialogue, not sanctions, was the best way to persuade the North to abandon its nuclear weapons.

At a news conference during the National People’s Congress, the foreign minister, Yang Jiechi, suggested that China’s support for tougher United Nations sanctions against North Korea should not be interpreted as a basic change in China’s attitude.

“We always believe that sanctions are not the end of the Security Council actions, nor are sanctions the fundamental way to resolve the relevant issues,” said Mr. Yang, who addressed foreign policy questions from Chinese and foreign reporters.

But the careful remarks masked the unparalleled plain-spoken discussions among China’s officials and analysts about the value of supporting North Korea even as it continues to develop nuclear weapons and unleashes new threats to attack the United States and South Korea.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/10/world/asia/china-says-it-will-not-abandon-north-korea.html?pagewanted=all

[David__77]

1. China will continue to support N. Korea.

Period.

[iandhr]

2. I am all for dialogue but...

... it has been tried before.

Both Clinton and Bush negotiated agreements with the North. They reneged both times.

[John2]

3. There is an overall theme

that I gather from this back and forth dialog. China is only interested in their own interests and so is the United States. Neither interests may suit the interests of the North Korean Government for self determination. North Korea is an independent state. Why should they be dictated to by the Chinese or United States? China is not exactly an Ally of the United States nor the United States of the communist government in China. The evidence of this is China continues to try and steal technological advances from the United States. Both countries commit espionage on each other. North and South Korea are just proxies between both powers. The argument can be made the U.S. also gives advanced military technology to the South, just like with Israel. The U.S. has not rejected the option to place nuclear weapons on the South Korean peninsula also. Past research does indicate that prompted the North to develop their own nuclear capability because of the fear of a U.S. invasion and regime change. This is a view not favoring either side. The agreement that formulated after hostilities during the North Korean War was only a Cease Fire. So technically, we are still at War.

[davidpdx]

4. A couple of things you are wildly off on

First of all, China's self-interest is to prevent a reunification of Korea as they think it would be more powerful they they are. The Chinese have continued to prop up North Korea with both financial and military aid. With South Korea, the US provides military aid and has some soldiers stationed here (much less than most think, it is down to 28,500). South Korea pays for a majority of that including for planes, helicopters, tanks, or anything else they get from the US. So I'm sorry, what you are saying is pure BS. South Korea has to pay for the technology and equipment they are given, North Korea is given a handout.

Second, in terms of technology you are right that espionage goes both ways, but for different reasons. Their espionage is to reverse engineer our products (this includes non-military products as well). Our espionage is not to steal, but to understand how strong their capabilities are.

Please come back and talk to me when you have lived in both of those countries and know what you are talking about.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

5. i lived in south korea. i live in china

officially, china cannot abandon north korea. it goes back to cold war thought.

unofficially, the chinese military wants nothing to do with this.

[davidpdx]

6. Yeah I know

Which is what irritates me. China talks out both side of their ass.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

7. 5000 year tradition of being two-faced.

i deal with it every day.

[davidpdx]

8. ROFL

I could only take 10 months of that. South Korea is very similar though as you know.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

9. South Korea is very much the same, but add insane jingoism and racism to the list

I lived in Seoul a year. Not interested in moving back there.