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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| NORK on slippery slope to becoming a Chinese satellite state |
| 2008-01-25 |
| From East Asia Intel, subscription. SEOUL — China now accounts for nearly 57 percent of North Korea’s total trade volume. Foreign goods sold in what passes as North Korean markets are predominantly made in China. China Airlines is making three flights a week between Beijing and Pyongyang, and Beijing is actively seeking to invest in the large Musan coal mines and other mines in North Korea. Three flights a week, ya say? Quite the hub of air commerce. China is also seeking ready access to North Korea’s eastern ports to reduce shipping costs to its northeastern provinces. Most importantly, North Korea depends on its massive neighbor for the lion’s share of oil and food aid. And that is where the Chicoms have Kimmie by the economic 'nads. “Economically at least, North Korea has already become a satellite state of China,” said Sung-Min Jang, a former lawmaker who withdrew from South Korea's presidential election in December 2007. “China is avoiding it becoming a political issue because it does not want confrontation with the United States — yet,” he said. However, China’s push into North Korea is also being felt by ordinary South Koreans. A South Korean businessman who last year toured Mt. Paekdu, which straddles the border of China and North Korea, was shocked at a map showing the entire mountain as Chinese territory. "Isn't this a mistake? This reads China on the map." "We make no mistakes. Our map is correct. Your map is wrong." “Our map clearly and traditionally indicates the mountain is Korean territory although we were told at school that half of the lake on the top had been given to China in return to its aid to North Korea during the Korean War.” Andrei Lankov, a Russian scholar on Korean history who teaches at Kookmin University in Seoul, said China wants North Korea to be politically stable, economically developed and diplomatically in compliance with China. “It will certainly intervene if an unstable situation develops in North Korea as it does not want South Korea to absorb the Stalinist country and lose the buffer zone now existing between its borders and South Korea, which is heavily under American influence," he said. “China will not hesitate to intervene if the current North Korean leadership loses its grasp on power and the country falls into chaos,” Lankov said. “There will be no significant international force to oppose it.” And the North Korean people get screwed again. |
| Posted by:Alaska Paul |
| #7 What, like they're not now? Why do ya think we haven't whacked the nasty little bastards yet? |
| Posted by: Ebbomolet Trotsky1353 2008-01-25 15:06 |
| #6 China Airlines is making three flights a week between Beijing and Pyongyang Definately not the Berlin Airlift, so why bother? Rich fleeing? |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-01-25 13:18 |
| #5 China Airlines is making three flights a week between Beijing and Pyongyang Da plane! Da plane! |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2008-01-25 12:29 |
| #4 "China Airlines is making three flights a week." Do they get their planes back?? In one piece? |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2008-01-25 12:05 |
| #3 The devil is in the details. If Nork became a satellite state with a puppet government that obeyed Beijing, yet wasn't as psychotically evil as the one they have now, and the Chinese weren't trying to repopulate the North with Han Chinese, it would probably be acceptable. Optimally, the Chinese would go liberal, and prefer a friendly, united Korea as a close friend and huge trading partner. In that way, the Chinese would make a fortune, not have an influx of Koreans into China, have an economic boom in their southwest, and quite possibly get the US out of the peninsula entirely. Granted, it would be nice if we could still have the naval base at Pusan. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-01-25 08:47 |
| #2 Foreign goods sold in what passes as North Korean markets are predominantly made in China. China Airlines is making three flights a week between Beijing and Pyongyang, and Beijing is actively seeking to invest in the large Musan coal mines and other mines in North Korea. In that case, the US passed into satellitehood about a decade ago. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-01-25 06:17 |
| #1 TOPIX [various] > NORTH KOREA WILL/MAY KEEP NUCLEAR ARMS. As said before, ironically for the freedom + sovereignty of the NK people as well as for Regional-International free trade, dev including to CHINA's advantage, THE USA MIGHT WANT NORTH KOREA TO HAVE NUKE WEAPONS??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-01-25 01:18 |