[imText1]The Sino-North Korean relationship is worse than ever. China, which has traditionally been a mediator between the U.S. and North Korea, is infuriated by the nuclear test. <\/p>\n
Chinese Foreign Ministry promptly criticized North Korea and President Hu Jin Tao warned NK not to \u2018worsen the situation anymore,\u2019 in a telephone summit with George W. Bush. <\/p>\n
Among top bureaucrats in China, atmosphere of discontent is widespread. Also China\u2019s leading North Korean specialists openly advocate ending the five-decade old \u2018blood alliance.\u2019 <\/p>\n
Yen Shue Tong, head of Qinghua University\u2019s International Affairs Institute, said in an interview with the Financial Times that North Korea\u2019s nuclear test \u2018practically ended the previous friendly relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang.\u2019<\/p>\n
South Korean scholars agreed with the Chinese on the inevitability of change in Beijing\u2019s attitude toward North Korea, and even expected China\u2019s participation in the economic sanctions. <\/p>\n
In an interview with the Daily NK, Han Suk Hee, a Yonsei University professor, analyzed that, since China\u2019s policy of a \u2018nuclear-free Korean Peninsula\u2019 was invalidated already, China would consider change of regime in Pyongyang and might accept someone other than Kim Jong Il as the leader of North Korea. \u201cChina would at least participate partly in economic sanctions, which hasn\u2019t been considered seriously before, on North Korea,\u201d Professor Han further anticipated.<\/p>\n
Shin Sang Jin, a professor at South Korea\u2019s Kwang Woon University, also predicted China to reduce aid such as oil and food due to increased domestic criticism of N. Korea. China is now likely to cooperate with the international society and the U.S. in forced inducement of North Korea to reform through economic sanction. <\/p>\n
China already promised to approve the UN Security Council\u2019s resolution of sanction, except for application of military means, and it reportedly endorsed a resolution based on the UN Charter Chapter VII\u2019s Article 42, which includes economic and diplomatic sanction. Thus, China will reduce most of the economic aid to North Korea. <\/p>\n
Paik Jin Hyun, a Seoul National University professor, predicted that China \u2018will force North Korea to reform and to abandon the nuclear weapons, but not strong enough to cause collapse of the regime,\u2019 because the patron NK \u2018fears Kim Jong Il being replaced by pro-American power more than the dictator having nuclear warheads.\u2019 <\/p>\n
Nonetheless, it is China\u2019s worst nightmare if Japan, South Korea and, most importantly, Taiwan follow North Korea. Therefore, Professor Shin added, China would prevent a \u2018nuclear domino effect\u2019 in Northeast Asia by partaking in the U.S.-led Proliferation Security Initiative and sanction on North Korea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[imText1]The Sino-North Korean relationship is worse than ever. China, which has traditionally been a mediator between the U.S. and North Korea, is infuriated by the nuclear test. Chinese Foreign Ministry promptly criticized North Korea and President Hu Jin Tao warned NK not to \u2018worsen the situation anymore,\u2019 in a telephone summit with George W. Bush. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":169,"featured_media":2744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wikipediapreview_detectlinks":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2742","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n