China’s fence-sitting regarding North Korea’s latest unprovoked military attack has raised the ire of South Koreans anew. Beijing’s ambiguous rhetoric reflects the general belief that Beijing would prefer the status quo rather than peace on the Korean Peninsula. The Middle Kingdom should behave as a responsible member of the international community.
Following the North’s military assault on civilian targets off the west coast of Korea on Tuesday, China expressed concern routinely over the development of the incident. It also hedged that it was verifying the situation, indicating that it was unwilling to accept the truth of the North’s battering.
China’s state media Tuesday reported the North’s shelling, which the South returned. One day later, they reported that the two Koreas exchanged fire, meaning that the both Koreas were responsible for the cross-fire taking place.
As long as Beijing is hesitant over accepting the fact itself, it is a tall order to expect China to reach a logical conclusion in handling the unprovoked act. Chinese leaders must have seen the live coverage of the devastated residential areas on Yeonpyeong Island.
They must have watched the fleeing of scared residents from the island, the burning of civilian homes and the demolished construction sites where two civilian workers were killed. It does not need much interpretation to conclude that the North attacked the site.
Russia and other countries were swift in condemning the attacker. Why is China different in reacting to the same fact?
This is not the first time China’s has sat on the fence. Beijing is still unclear over its position on the North’s torpedoing in March of a South Korean warship, which killed 46 sailors.
China has already blunted the effectiveness of the U.N. Security Council. It has been either passive or vetoing resolutions that call for action on North Korea’s provocative acts.
In a meeting with President Lee Myung-bak in Seoul earlier this month, China’s President Hu Jintao said that he had told North Korean leaders that improving inter-Korean relations will contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Following Hu’s two meetings with Kim Jong-il in May and August, however, North Korea has shown off its modern enriched uranium facility capable of producing nuclear weapons in a cost-effective way. Almost immediately afterwards, the North shelled the border island. Two questions arise over the differences between their talk and deeds. China is either speaking double-talk or North Korea snubbed Beijing’s peace-proposal.
U.S. President Barack Obama urged China to be cooperative in preventing the North from continuing its provocative acts. China should use its leverage to dissuade the North from repeating its military adventurism.
Skepticism is growing that as long as the Communist Party monopolizes power, China may continue to embrace the North blindly as a blood ally.
China’s role is under heavy scrutiny in the international community. The country has become the world’s second largest economy. It needs to play a proactive role regionally and globally. This is not the Cold War era but North Korea is still living with a Cold War mentality. Without peace on the Korean Peninsula, China’s prosperity will also be in jeopardy.