WikiLeaks row: China wants Korean reunification, officials confirm

guardian.co.uk home Location ^ | Tuesday 30 November 2010 | Simon Tisdall

[DManA]

China supports the "independent and peaceful reunification of the Korean peninsula" and cannot afford to give the North Korean regime the impression it has a blank cheque to act any way it wants, Chinese officials based in Europe said today.

The officials, who asked not to be identified, spoke after the Guardian revealed that senior figures in Beijing, exasperated with North Korea behaving like a "spoiled child", had told their South Korean counterparts that China was leaning towards acceptance of reunification under Seoul's control.

China's moves to distance itself from the North Korean regime were revealed in the latest tranche of leaked US embassy cables obtained by WikiLeaks and published yesterday by the Guardian and four international newspapers.

[DManA]

This is huge.

[RobRoy]

>>This is huge.<<

It is one of the best things to come out of this wikileaks thing. It must not be good news to NK to know that the whole world knows this now. They completely lost the bluff here.

[WOBBLY BOB]

True.We should push for it with the agreement that we’ll pull our troops out of ROK if reunification happens.

Korea should be defending themselves.

[runninglips]

Of course China wants the economic engine of South Korea under its control. None of you think they want the freedom and elections of the South to come to the North do you?

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Kim Jong-il and the North Korean military read the same papers and must know how fragile their hold on power is. Dangerous situation right now - I doubt shelling that island is all the North Koreans are going to do.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

I’m wondering if the South wants to take the basketcase that is the North. Think about how long and painful it was for West Germany when they reunified Germany. This will put South Korea at a competitive disadvantage economically for a decade.

In order for this to happen, the whole North Korean leadership has to be either killed or brought to China under diplomatic protection. Neither prospect is a good outcome if you are part of the North Korean Leadership...

[Paperdoll]

Bluff, or success? A unified Korea under Communist control does not bode well to me.

[GonzoGOP]

Of course China wants the economic engine of South Korea under its control. None of you think they want the freedom and elections of the South to come to the North do you?

To be honest I don't think they care about democracy in Korea one way or another. But they know that with things breaking down the way they are China will soon face an increased US presence in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. And they definitely don't want that. In addition there is the very real chance that Japan might change their constitution and start rearming to face North Korea. Finally both South Korea and Japan could go nuclear within a matter of months. And that would be a nightmare for China.

North Korea, like all useful idiots, has reached the end of its useful life. And now will be disposed of in order to win the favor of the next, larger and more powerful group of useful idiots. In this case the socialists and peace parties in the US, South Korea and Japan.

[reagan_fanatic]

This IS big. What China would do has been one of the main fears in any renewed conflict. Sounds like they’re tiring of Chia Head & Co.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Sure is....pinging others.

[DManA]

In a heart beat. They have been living with a gun pointed at their temples for 50 years.

I’m wondering if the South wants to take the basketcase that is the North.

[antiRepublicrat]

I think China is just being practical. NK is a big pain in the ass and costing China money and political capital to support.

[Robe]

From the article "China was leaning towards acceptance of reunification under Seoul's control"

[rod1]

China knows that any real obligations to NK will wreck the partner’s economy. Apparenly they like the idea of having a huge competitive economic advantage over a trashed SK economy.

[Buckeye McFrog]

The population of North Korea has been so thoroughly damaged, mentally and spiritually, that I feel it will be quite a long time before they are prepared to begin electing their own leadership. The re-education and rebuilding will be truly a massive undertaking.

[ponder life]

But they know that with things breaking down the way they are China will soon face an increased US presence in the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan. And they definitely don't want that.

In the long term, China will eventually have the upper hand, not only in the Pacific, but globally. But China needs peace and stability in the global market place to achieve it. And even AFTER achieving the upper hand, China will still value peace and stability.

China will still need the globe's resources to thrive; from Africa, to North America, to Latin America, Australia, and the Asian continent. China will, indefinitely, be reliant on foreign resources for her to thrive.

[GeronL]

China wants a Korea they have control and influence over.

[GeronL]

Right. Lets surrender all of Asia to the Chinese communists! great plan.

[WOBBLY BOB]

How would China control S.Korea any more than they do now?

And nevermind that citizens of S.Korea , for the most part, no longer want us(US) there.

I’d also allow Japan to re-arm and defend themselves and we leave there ,too. Nobody looks out for their own best interests like the one most affected.

God forbid we have installations in fewer than 700 places outside the US when we are broker than broke.

[DManA]

Agree completely. We should assure China that as soon the peninsula is united under the control of the south we will close our bases and leave.