China warns against Korea escalation

[dipsydoodle]

Source: BBC News

China has appealed for calm on the Korean peninsula, hours after North Korea said it had scrapped all peace pacts with the South and threatened pre-emptive nuclear strikes.

China, the North's only major ally, said all sides should continue to talk and avoid "further escalation".

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It has repeatedly voted in favour of UN sanctions imposed over the nuclear programme, but enforcement of the measures in China is patchy.

Hua Chunying of China's foreign ministry told a news conference on Friday: "China and North Korea have normal country relations. At the same time, we also oppose North Korea's conducting of nuclear tests.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-21713340

[TheMightyFavog]

1. China's getting sick of North Korea's shit.

I hope Little Kim's seriously not expecting Chinese help should things really go south.

[John2]

2. The Chinese Government is looking

out for their own interests while they steal American Technology and build their own military technology, which includes their own nuclear capabilities. Why don't they get rid of their own nukes as an example? And when was the last time the U.N. checked on China's human Rights abuses? We can start with labor camps. The average income in the U.S. is over 49,000 dollers. China's is a little over 9,000 dollars.

[Diclotican]

4. John2

John2

Of course the government in PRC is looking out for their own interest - that be when it come to trade - to spy on military hardware/software, or to build their own things - the PRC have, compared to US and Russia a rather modest arsenal, and it is more out of "necessity" than needed - in the 1960s when PRC had their nuclear weapons first time - it was to show USSR that even China was a power to be recognized with - And for most of the cold war, PRC had their nuclear warheads pointed to USSR rather than the US.. And it looks like the government in PRC, are not to comfortable having the nuclear weapons - in the hand of their generals.. In fact some have pointed out, Beijing look out to not trust the generals at all compared to what is the case in both US and Russia...

UN is checking on PRCs human rights abuses yearly - to of course protest from the government of PRC who found it "Insulting" most of the time...

Diclotican

[davidthegnome]

3. The real question is...

What will China do if and when war does break out? I'm no longer convinced that NK is simply sabre rattling at this point. The threats are just too specific for that. So, say North Korea nukes Seoul and SK and the US retaliate with nuclear weapons... what would China do? That idea, I suspect, is keeping lots of high level officials awake at night.

[davidpdx]

8. I don't think the Chinese could do much

First of all the Chinese people have grown to dislike North Korea for their behavior and the fact that they leech off of China. Second, China would not want a conflict with the US as it may destabilize their economy. My guess is that China has told North Korea "if you attack South Korea, you are on your own". As much as I dislike the Chinese, I don't think they are completely stupid. They know the US has a strong military and as soon as the North attacked South Korea and the US would use the opportunity to take Kim and the military out.

Also feel free to read what I wrote yesterday in another thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=419078

[davidpdx]

5. Calling for calm

This is the same shit they say every time. I call for them to shut the fuck up and stop protecting North Korea.

[Posteritatis]

9. "Calling for calm" = "settle down or we won't protect you."

They're fine with a consistent North Korea that isn't doing much of anything, but if Pyongyang ever becomes stupid enough to try marching south again they're not going to get a lick of Chinese assistance save for the cleanup after the inevitable bout of debellatio.

[davidpdx]

11. Well there are couple of things I want to point out about that...

First, I don't believe China is a honest broker in the whole mess. Trusting the Chinese on anything is a big mistake. Second, yes China is calling for calm, but every time they call for calm they use the words "of all parties", which to me is reeks of being disingenuous. Now clearly China isn't talking about themselves, they are referring specifically to North Korea, South Korea, Japan, and Russia which would be the other major countries affected by this. I can't speak for Russia (they certainly seem to have more internal programs to focus on), but South Korea and Japan have remained pretty calm despite what has happened in the 9 years I've been in Asia. I've been here in South Korea through three missile launches and two nuclear bomb tests. The only time South Korea has fired on North Korea in the recent years was during the [link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardment_of_Yeonpyeong| shelling of Yeongpyeong Island where North Korea first opened first and South Korea returned fire.

Second, the only way China would protect them is IF North Korea launched an attack (which my response would be bring it on). Even then China would find itself on the wrong end of a war they don't want by intervening on North Korea's behalf. In the event North Korea did attack, I hope you are right that they'd simply tell them they are out of luck, but I doubt that will happen. While China has signed on the recent UN sanctions, they still provide them with food, oil, and currency on the side.

Ps-sorry for the rant, North Korea and the Chinese just piss me off.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. OK, China take care of N. Korea

after all China is in that neck of the woods. China is in firing range.

[jsr]

7. Stop supplying him with McDonald's hamburgers

[radicalliberal]

10. I'm getting bored with all of this.

The North Korean leader sounds like a little brat.

Well, whaddya know, he is a little brat!