Our only hope to pressure North Korea was to convince China to cut off oil and food to demand North Korea abandon its nuclear and missile programs.
But China will not help:
Liu Jianchao, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Tuesday that China ejected suggestions that it should reduce oil or food shipments to North Korea, calling them part of its normal trade with its neighbor that should be separate from the nuclear problem. "The normal trade flow should not be linked up with the nuclear issue," he said. "We oppose trying to address the problem through strong-arm tactics."
Beijing's apparent unwillingness to go along with Mr. Bush's backup plan to squeeze North Korea takes away the crucial pressure point that Mr. Bush's aides have been counting on. It also suggests that the strategy of threatening to go to the United Nations Security Council - which Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has begun to discuss - could fail.
Peking would rather have North Korea point nukes at America, South Korea, and Japan than risk a united Korea friendly to America. China would rather risk Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan going nuclear rather than have that unified Korea on their border.
The question of whether China will be a strategic partner or a strategic competitor (that is, potential enemy) seems to have been answered by China quite clearly. China will not help us even when the repercussions are not pleasant for China either.
So as we prepare to contain an openly nuclear North Korea, intercept any nuclear exports, and squeeze the Pillsbury Nuke Boy until they collapse, we have to watch the real problem in Asia--a China that prefers the company of nutjob states and tyrannies.
But at least we're clear on where China stands.
