Has the threat posed by North Korea become so great, that Beijing will fully join the rest of the world in bringing the maximum pressure to bear against Pyongyang? Expressing friendly skepticism about geopolitical naivete on the part of President Obama and issuing a plea to China to get off the stick, this editorial from Japan’s Nishi Nippon Shimbun laments that the signs aren’t promising for preventing this month’s planned North Korean missile test.
The Nishi Nippon Shimbun editorial says in part:
It was extraordinary to see Obama ask Pyongyang to dispense with fear of the outside world and abandon nuclear development to take a step toward cooperating with the international community. We hope that North Korea’s new governing elite takes Obama’s call seriously.
In the real world, however, it is unlikely Pyongyang will change its position. In a statement from the North Korean Foreign Ministry, the regime rebuked Obama’s criticism and insisted it would not cancel the launch. The five nations that have joined together to prevent the launch must assume that the North will go ahead with the launch, and prepare their next move.
It appears that this time, China is cooperating with Japan, the U.S. and South Korea because Beijing fears that the February agreement between North Korea and the U.S. would be scuttled by the missile test, resulting in a loss of leverage in regard to halting Pyongyang’s uranium enrichment.
However, if Japan, the U.S. and South Korea table a resolution at the U.N. Security Council condemning and seeking sanctions against the North, China is unlikely to back it.
If the net surrounding North Korea starts fraying around the edges, it will no longer be effective. Actions speak louder than words. We hope China joins the North Korea scrum.
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