China exploits North Korea

The six-party talks attempting to resolve North Korea's nuclear threat will lead nowhere; not because of North's willingness, as reported, or unwillingness, as expected, to accept compromise; rather because China is fishing in the troubled waters.

This assertion is founded on the following arguments:

China has absolutely no desire to see the crisis resolved. From Beijing's point of view, North Korea is a huge buffer zone of geo-strategic importance. As Beijing is fully aware of the effect a democracy right across the Yalu River would have and as it sees no advantage in resolving the crisis, China's presence at the talks is just a show with a hidden agenda.

China intends to exploit North Korea as its hatchet man, for the North can easily stir up trouble and set fires in numerous hot spots around the globe, while China can maintain seemingly clean hands. After all, North Korea depends almost entirely on China for survival and wields no power whatsoever to refuse this role imposed on it.

In addition to using North Korea as a conduit to sell and spread weapons of mass destruction, China has been using Pyongyang's facilities to develop secret weapons. Obviously, Beijing has no intention of giving up these expedient sites.

China also senses a golden chance to extort and claim the lion's share of aid that the US and Japan are willing to provide to the North in exchange for its compromise. Pyongyang, realizing its weak bargaining position against Beijing's demands and that China will not end up the true benefactor, therefore has no incentive to yield.

China has seen in the crisis ample opportunities to boost its interests and realizes that the longer the situation drags on, the better its interests will be served. The US and Japan may be well advised not to expect China's assistance, which is nothing but lip service.

Kengchi Goah
New Jersey