China's Insult to South Korea

Asia Sentinel ^ | 5/10/2010 | Lee Byong-chul

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

China's decision to roll out a glitzy welcome mat for the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has stunned and shocked South Korea's leaders, ignoring South Korea's anger over the sinking, undoubtedly by the north, of a South Korean navy patrol ship on March 26 with the loss of 46 lives.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was not given any hint from his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao at a Shanghai summit meeting, hardly a week ago on May 1, that Kim was on his way to Beijing. It was on May 2 that the 68-year-old North Korean leader's clandestine visit initially went public.

Beijing's actions constitute the truncation of debate about controversial and complex issues over North Korea. Whatever China's motive might be, it is obnoxious for the Lee government, which has continued a decades-long effort to get along with Beijing, and which has vowed to investigate the mysterious explosion in a scientific and objective manner. In the face of widespread suspicion of North Korea's involvement, the highest-ranking political leaders of both North Korea and China have disregarded the South's concerns and hastened to meet with each other.

Seoul believes that Beijing cut the ground out from under it in order to safeguard the status quo on the peninsula and protect the traditional relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang. People on the street in South Korea believe the cause of the sinking has never been a question of whether the communist regime was involved, but rather when and, more important, how.

[ETL]

"China's decision to roll out a glitzy welcome mat for the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has stunned and shocked South Korea's leaders"

Why on Earth would it shock them?

[Leisler]

If South Korea plays its cards right, it could be the new Burma as far as China is concerned.

( I suppose Obama and Hillery told SK to put some ice on that. )