China Sends Message To North Korea By Promising Stronger Ties To South Korea

China managed to send a quiet, yet strong message to North Korea, by meeting with ROK Defense Minister Lee Sang Hee, early today and promised further efforts to work for peace and stability as well as to work for military cooperation. This all sends a message to North Korea that China does not support efforts to expand nuclear weapons on the Korean peninsula, and that North Korea stands isolated with no support for their recent nuclear tests or missile launch efforts.

Both China and Russia appear to be onboard with reasonable efforts to force North Korea to back down and to begin to respect the agreements they made with the Bush Administration and the other regional governments to destroy their nuclear program in exchange for fuel oil and food aid from the United States, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia.

Without any political or military support for North Korea's nuclear program, the Pyongyang government needs to quickly realize that they are bucking international pressure to return to a peaceful stance and accept international aid in return for destruction of their nuclear program.

It is highly likely that the Obama Administration will use the U.S. Navy to check each North Korean ship for possible exporting of missile or nuclear parts to nations such as Iran, despite North Korean threats that such inspections could resort in war. However, the Obama Administration appears willing to stand up to North Korea's stance, and to consider their threats as a possible bluff. Other international states appear to want to engage in the inspections of North Korean ships as well including Japan.

The official news service of China, XINHUA appears to offer support for both President Obama and Secretary Of State Hillary Clinton to peacefully return North Korea back to constructive relations in the region. So far nothing in the Chinese press appears to be supportive of North Korea, proving that the Pyongyang government has no support in China for their current actions which endanger peace in the region.

The Russian newservice, VOICE OF RUSSIA. which operates largely as the mouthpiece for Vladimir Putin's political party and government went even further in condemning North Korea for attempting to use the "nuclear blackmail" card to force more aid from the United States and South Korea after Russia and China stopped foreign aid to North Korea back during the 1990's. Russia views that North Korea's nuclear program as entirely built on wringing aid from Washington and South Korea while attempting to preserve their hardline regime. Russia would like to see North Korea enact political reforms to become a more stable and open society. Russia views North Korea's nuclear program as an attempt to pressure states for aid without offering political reforms in exchange for the aid.

With a common goal of Washington, South Korea, Japan, China and Russia for North Korea to return to constructive relations in exchange for aid, North Korea needs to change politically internally and allow some reforms to prevent constant military tensions in the region. The conduct of North Korea has lost them support first among the old Soviet Union, and then with China. And the nuclear blackmail card is not helping the hardline regime to continue to hang on to power either, although the main pressures for political reform are all coming externally from Russia, the U.S. and other sources.