North
Korea is perhaps one of the most sanctioned and isolated countries of
the world. With the exception of China, who is North Korea's top ally
and trading partner and who also supplies the impoverished country
with crucial economic and humanitarian assistance, there are not many
friends for this country. Acting under a perennial fear psychosis,
that US, Japan and South Korea have made it their highest national
goal, to obliterate it from map of the world, it has developed a
range of rockets that can hit targets from few hundred to few
thousands of Kilometers and has been making efforts to develop atomic
war heads for its rockets. In continuation of it's efforts in this
direction, North Korea conducted its third nuclear test on February
12, despite warnings from the international community. It has also
been in forefront in the illegal trade to supply missile parts and
designs to some other rogue countries.
The
test has caught China on a wrong foot, who always believed that it
was one of the few nations who would be able to influence Pyongyang.
The international observers feel that this nuclear test is not a
good development for China, North Korea has embarrassed China with
this test and it is hugely insulting to it. Chinese also have found
it to their horror that the test was conducted at a site, barely an
hundred Kilometers from the border. China’s state news agency,
Xinhua, has vocally condemned Pyongyang’s nuclear test, saying it
was “another manifestation of the attempt of a desperate DPRK” to
keep the threats it perceives from the U.S., Japan and South Korea
“at bay.”
I
however found reactions from Chinese netizens published on the web,
far more representative of what ordinary Chinese think of this test.
Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like service in China, was full of caustic
comments, critical of North Korea and some netizens even compared
North Korea to a canine. Here are some excerpts.
One
netizen writes, “
Pyongyang was like a “crazy dog” that had humiliated Beijing.”
A user
says that “Mao raised a
dog to watch the door, turns out the dog is crazy.”
Another
one writes that “North
Korea slapped China. China raised a dog to bite its owner.”
“The
watchdog is making trouble in front of the owner’s door,”
wrote another. “But the
owner can’t do anything.”
TeaLeafNation.com,
a well respected e-magazine devoted to China, reports even more
comments of Chinese netizens. According to the magazine, a Sina Weibo
user wrote, “That fatty
Kim really is a mad dog,”
referring to North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. The post has since
been deleted. Another commentator called for China to stop giving
aid to North Korea, and said, “Every
Chinese person with a conscience, right now is asking: Why do we
support North Korea?”
Another
sarcastic comment on Sina Weibo, is one of the best. A netizen says
that the test is potentially positive for China. The reason for “
China to benefit is that now in comparison to North Korea, it doesn’t
look so bad.”
Another
user, does not agree with this comment and says, “Not
so, North Korea simply doesn't trust China and is not willing to be
inhibited by China."
Zhuanshengben,
another Weibo user ridicules Chinese policy and says, "For
China alone to emphasize China and North Korea's so-called
friendship, this is the ultimate stupidity."
I
found this cartoon on the web at PareshNath@cagleblog.com,
which summarizes Chinese reaction very aptly.
According
to new reports from Bejing, Chinese Government is hard put trying to
allay fears of people about possible radiation threat from across the
border as the test site is only about 100km away from the border and
tries to reassure the public that their country is safe from nuclear
contamination.
A
statement by the environment ministry on China Central Television on
14th
February 2013 morning says,"North Korea's nuclear test has not
affected China's environment or public health. " Ministry's
web site assures that readings from 25 monitoring stations, on and
near the border, were at normal levels at 10:00 local time on 13th
February 2013.
The
official Chinese reaction is however much more guarded even when it
recognizes the potentially dangerous situation. A latest report on
BBC website, gives more details and I quote.
Peng
Guangqian of the Chinese Academy of Military Science in an interview
with Xinhua, calls the nuclear test "regrettable" and
"unwise", but reminds the international community,
especially the US, to exercise restraint and take full account of
North Korea's security concerns. Yu Sui, professor at the China
Centre for Contemporary World Studies, dismisses North Korea's test
as "half helplessness and half bluff" meant at raising its
"bargaining price", but also lays the responsibility on the
US to sort out the crisis. Wang Fan, an expert on Korean studies at
the China Foreign Affairs University, is worried in his interview
with China Daily that the US and its allies, Japan and South Korea,
may exploit Pyongyang's nuclear test as an excuse for a military
build-up in the region.
Qiao
Xinsheng of Wuhan's Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, a
regular commentator on foreign policy, writes on China Review News, a
state-affiliated commentary website that the Chinese military must
guard against a refugee influx if the UN Security Council backs
US-led air strikes on North Korea. He adds,"North Korea is
entirely to blame for where it has headed today. China has paid a
heavy price amid a series of instances of nuclear blackmail,"
He adds, "If North Korea does not change its ways by immediately
promising not to conduct further nuclear tests and rocket launches,
China will no longer assume the obligation of protecting North Korea.
North Korea must then face a military strike from the US alone.”
I find
this change in Chinese attitude, hugely interesting. They are in real
quandary and just do not know, how to react to the situation as is
clearly seen from the reactions. It would be interesting to see, how
they would finally respond in security council, if United nations
security council decides to back US-led air strikes on North Korea.
16
February 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment