A remote corner of China wants access to the sea. The obstacle is North Korea.

Washington Post ^ | October 15, 2015 | By Anna Fifield

[Brad from Tennessee]

FANGCHUAN, CHINA — You can almost smell the sea air from here, at the point where China, Russia and North Korea meet, where slogans pronounce “One eye, three countries” and tourists pose for photos against a green landscape in which the borders are imperceptible.

But for the Chinese, smelling the sea air is all they can do. Their border lies 10 miles inland, because of the Russian annexation of the area in 1860. That means China’s landlocked northern provinces are dependent for sea access on Russia, whose efforts to develop eastern ports haven’t amounted to much, and North Korea — which has some reliability issues, to say the least.

Now, China is hoping to triumph over decades of false starts and finally secure access to the sea, enabling it to ship goods produced here to destinations elsewhere in Asia — and farther afield — instead of sending them by train to ports to the south.

Authorities are pumping money into infrastructure projects as part of President Xi Jinping’s plan to build a new Silk Road trading route and to make this area, which incorporates the Yanbian autonomous prefecture with its large ethnic Korean population, relevant again.

South Korea wants a part of the action, too. It is eyeing the area as a kind of off-site Korean unification project, with businesses preparing for when North Korea opens up — or for when it fails, although they are careful not to talk in such a pointed way. . .

[Patriot Babe]

“You can almost smell the sea air from here,”

Is one sure that is Sea Air one is smelling?

[HiTech RedNeck]

Would this help drag North Korea into the civilized era again? Not necessarily so, China may have to man this thing all by themselves even after getting the pass from North Korea to go over the land.

[Mark17]

I wonder why the Chinese don’t just move in and take over? They seem to be doing that in other areas. Maybe they fear the Norks might resist.

[HiTech RedNeck]

I figure the Chinese want the Norks. Trouble to stir up against the world with that little madman leader of theirs, makes China happy happy happy.

If China keeps the Norks supplied, I figure the Norks will not give them too much trouble about the route, especially if China pays for everything. More caviar for Dear Leader.

[sarasmom]

Does anyone have a problem with China annexing North Korea?

[Hieronymus]

South Korea probably would.

[caww]

China wants N. Korea as it’s buffer zone....they don’t want the people and could care less about them. They don’t want N. Korea to be free or anything which would upset the “as is”....because the N. Koreans would end up flooding into China.

[Brad from Tennessee]

According to the maps, the Chinese could go around North Korea, go a few miles into Russia and they're at Posyet Bay on the Sea of Japan. They'd have to cut a deal with the Russians.

[tumblindice]

With the Japanese, we could start dumping millions of tons of soil at the mouth of the Tummen river, create a tiny island and then build a toll booth.

[dr_lew]

I figure the Chinese want the Norks.

They more than want them, they HAVE them. NK is a cat's paw. China created it! Just think about it. The insane concentration of power in one man. But who is he? Nobody!

[Jack Hammer]

Whatever happened to who, what, when, where, why, and how?

This writer just assumes I’m sufficiently enthralled with her rhetoric that I hang on every word.

Don’t they J Schools anymore?

[Moltke]

Russia, whose efforts to develop eastern ports haven’t amounted to much,

Vladivostok doesn't count? It's right in that area.

[Stosh]

In Wisconsin you can smell their dairy air.

[reed13k]

Last time they had a bruhaha with NK in the 70’s they got their ass handed to em. Not that I don’t think they aren’t in a much better way now, but the NK army is still one of the largest in the world and it just isn’t worth the trouble, plus they like using the Norks as a buffer and to try things out.

[reed13k]

SORRY I RETRACT I RETRACT - that was Vietnam in the 70s not NK. My mistake apologies

[HiTech RedNeck]

Vietnam also didn’t have to live on tree bark

[sarasmom]

If they do, wouldn’t that be on them, and shouldn’t that be on their own dime?

I “get” that they all hate each other on the other side of the Pacific.

Franky, I would prefer USA DOD forces be redeployed on CONUS USA borders, and let China, Japan, the Korea’s and the entire Far East argue it out among themselves.