| I find this a bit hard to believe; the Norks have been China's lapdog. We'll need more confirmation. I don't see how the Norks can go it alone right now. |
High-level communication channels between China and North Korea have apparently been shut down since the death of former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. Pyongyang is failing to inform its sole ally of important developments like the upcoming missile launch.
The only high-ranking Chinese official to visit North Korea since Kim's death was Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying, who was in Pyongyang between Feb. 20 and 25 to discuss aid to the North. Fu met his North Korean counterpart Kim Sung-gi but did not speak with higher ranking officials.
China was supposedly stunned by the announcement on Feb. 16 of the launch plan for what the North says is a space rocket and had to summon the ambassador to China late at night to protest.
| Supposedly because it's in China's interest to keep Japan, ROK and the US all stirred up, the better to offer concessions to the Norks. |
Wu Dawei, ChinaÂ’s chief delegate to the six-party nuclear talks, then met with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho on Feb. 19 when Ri was visiting Beijing. There are rumors that Ri also met with State Councilor Dai Bingguo, who outranks Wu.
But North Korean officials dealing with China are only working-level bureaucrats, making it doubtful that Beijing's concerns over the North's missile launch were expressed to the highest echelons of the North Korean regime, according to experts.
China has through various diplomatic channels tried to hold talks with North Korea, but the North is apparently rejecting the requests saying it is still in mourning for Kim Jong-il.
| If this is Pudgy's way of banging the spoon to gain attention, he'll find out real quick that China doesn't like being treated like this. |
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