Article

2006-10-25 China-Japan-Koreas

China denies reports of North Korean apology

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Posted by Fred 2006-10-25 00:00|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 In other news: China jerks around world opinion like a $100 a night hooker.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-25 00:47|| 2006-10-25 00:47|| Front Page Top

#2 It doesn't make sense to me, if China owns NorK, that they would be speaking for them. Looks bad. Seems a lot like an admission. If I were China, I would be deferring to NorK to answer this kind of question for themselves. Are there no other channels available to NorK?

Posted by gorb 2006-10-25 02:42|| 2006-10-25 02:42|| Front Page Top

#3 g: It doesn't make sense to me, if China owns NorK, that they would be speaking for them. Looks bad. Seems a lot like an admission. If I were China, I would be deferring to NorK to answer this kind of question for themselves. Are there no other channels available to NorK?

What part of plausible deniability don't you understand? The whole idea that China has lost face has been orchestrated by China and echoed by people whose concept of Chinese behavior is based on Charlie Chan movies - stern but honorable. This way China gets to jerk Uncle Sam around while claiming that it has no control over North Korea. Pretending to lose face while unleashing its allies is a longstanding Chinese tradition so as to preserve some semblance of the appearance of good faith.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2006-10-25 06:15|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2006-10-25 06:15|| Front Page Top

#4 Ultimately, this is the only "face" the Chinese care about - the appearance of being the good guys.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2006-10-25 06:16|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2006-10-25 06:16|| Front Page Top

#5 In other words, professional hand-wringing accompanied by copious quantities of crocodile tears. Remember, the Chinese practically invented the concept of professional mourners who are paid to gnash their teeth, tear at their faces, pull out their hair and keen disconsolately over the coffin of a complete stranger ... all for money. This is the politburo's version of same.

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2006-10-25 06:52|| 2006-10-25 06:52|| Front Page Top

#6 The MSM vigorously obscures the fact that North Korea is a puppet of China.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2006-10-25 07:31|| 2006-10-25 07:31|| Front Page Top

#7 Z: Remember, the Chinese practically invented the concept of professional mourners who are paid to gnash their teeth, tear at their faces, pull out their hair and keen disconsolately over the coffin of a complete stranger ... all for money.

That's the tradition - the greater the number of professional mourners hired, the greater the amount of "face" (reflecting wealth and prestige) accruing to the the family of the deceased. But the analogy doesn't even have to stray that far from the subject of statecraft.

A quick look back at Chinese history should disabuse anyone of the notion of the Chinese always saying what they mean and meaning what they say. During China's periodic changes of emperor via palace revolt or popular rebellion, the new ruler would typically reign for a period of time in the emperor's name, even as he posed as the emperor's protector. After a suitable period of time, "unknown" assassins would conveniently kill the emperor, paving the way for the new ruler to crown himself emperor. In theory, the ruler should have lost face for failing to adequately protect the emperor, but in reality, all he had needed was time to consolidate his power - by figuring out the loyalties of court officials, ditching the emperor's stalwarts and keeping those who were prepared to switch their allegiance to him. Once he accomplished this, his predecessor's fate was sealed.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2006-10-25 10:25|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2006-10-25 10:25|| Front Page Top

#8 What part of plausible deniability don't you understand?

What I'm trying to say is that China just shed the last shred of plausible deniability it had when it started speaking for NorK. That's not losing face; it's stupid! Now there are no feeble excuses left for China to fall back on.

The only hope China has left to maintain plausible deniability in my mind is to say that they were speaking for the NorKs only because China is its last remaining channel of communication in the world, and that NorK wanted them to say that.

So to settle this question in my mind for now, does anyone know if China is speaking for NorK only because there is no other choice, or because China decided to formally do away with any illusions they think they are maintaining? If it's what I am thinking, it looks like Kimmie just got sidelined.

It seems to me that there is something I'm missing.

Posted by gorb 2006-10-25 13:12|| 2006-10-25 13:12|| Front Page Top

#9 Let them eat yellowcake......

Posted by OyVey1 2006-10-25 13:18|| 2006-10-25 13:18|| Front Page Top

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