After firing a long-range missile over Japan on April 5, North Korea conducted a new underground nuclear test on May 25, followed by the launch of short-range missiles for two days over the past week.
This series of actions shocked the world and was condemned by the United States, Japan, South Korea, and European countries. These countries have called on the United Nations to impose stricter financial sanctions against North Korea. Recently, Western media have also questioned the CCP’s “double role” in North Korea’s nuclear tests.
China in Control
Prior to the long-range missile launch in April, North Korea’s Premier visited Beijing on March 17. Under the guise of business negotiations, the discussion was actually about nuclear weapons.
According to sources inside the Nuclear Ministry of China, various materials and supplies continue to be shipped to North Korea on trucks across the Yalu River. North Korea’s nuclear technicians have been trained in China, and North Korea’s most advanced nuclear technology all came from China. China, in fact, controls the key materials, manpower, and technology of North Korea’s nuclear industry. Some tests are even conducted in secret in China’s nuclear base.
A top Chinese scientist said that if China wants North Korea to stop nuclear tests, all China needs to do is to stop providing the resources and technology. North Korea does not have enough resources to continue nuclear tests on its own.
Some analysts believe that Western leaders know China’s real role in these nuclear tests, but do not want to make it public for two reasons. First, having China lead the six-party talks is a way to force China to exert pressure on North Korea. Second, Western politicians are reluctant to take too strong a stance against China due to economic interests.
Famous human rights activist Wei Jingsheng said after a 2006 North Korean nuclear test that China and North Korea are playing “good cop, bad cop.” While one acts as a brat in front of the international community, the other pretends to be a peacekeeper.
For the last few decades, the CCP has been North Korea’s most loyal ally, or perhaps its only ally.
Japan-based “Yomiuri News” reported on May 27 that China currently provides 80 percent of the crude oil and 80 percent of the consumable resources to North Korea. Several years ago, China’s aid to North Korea was between US$100 and 200 million a year. This figure went up in the last few years. In 2005, China gave North Korea US$2 billion in one lump sum. Between 2006 and 2010, China is expected to give North Korea approximately US$7.5 billion.
China is in control of North Korea’s economy. North Korea is a pawn of the CCP. Whenever China is in a domestic or international crisis, China controls North Korea to distract the world.
Distracting the World
Since the CCP took over China in 1949, it has always faced crises of many kinds. When the Eastern European Communist countries turned to capitalism, China’s sense of crisis intensified. The publication of “The Nine Commentaries of the Communist Party” triggered a great wave of withdrawals from the Party, sending shock waves to the regime.
The CCP is faced with a host of issues. The world economic downturn has hit China hard. There is a moral crisis in China. More and more members of the public are resisting the dictatorship. In Tibet, the government resorted to a massacre to maintain its control. Under the circumstances, North Korea is one of the few chess pieces that the CCP can control.
Since China supported North Korea to blackmail the United States, the United States has been forced to negotiate with terrorist organizations and the rogue nation. There is little time to deal with China. China has thus forced the United States to cooperate with the Communist Party and even to help China solve its own crises.
Cai Yongmei, editor of Hong Kong-based Open Magazine, has said that China supports North Korea for two reasons: first, to sustain another communist nation, and second, to use North Korea as a weapon to threaten the international community—especially the United States. Conservative analysts believe the Obama administration and the last Bush administration are both overly dependent on the Chinese Communist Party.
