N. Korea: Kim Jong-il's China Trip Turns Sour (bickering spill out into open?)

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 05/27/11

[TigerLikesRooster]

Kim Jong-il's China Trip Turns Sour

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il apparently ran into a stone wall in talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao about key projects he wants China to invest in. The result is that ground-breaking ceremonies for the development of Hawanggumpyong Island and for roads connecting Hunchun in China with the Rajin-Sonbong special zone have been cancelled.

A diplomatic source in Beijing said on Thursday there were differences of opinion. China is seeking to scrap the development of Hwanggumpyong, an island in the lower reaches of the Duman (or Tumen) River, which it considers financially unviable, and focus investment on Rajin-Sonbong, while North Korea insists on developing both.

The state-run Xinhua News said Kim met Hu and Wen separately on Wednesday. Meeting Wen, Kim said, "The two countries have taken a new step in economic cooperation with the construction of the new Apnok (or Yalu) River bridge. Let's open a new era through expanded and deeper economic cooperation."

Wen was quoted as saying, "China hopes that economic cooperation is achieved through normal business processes and we believe provinces and businesses need to become more proactive." That is seen as a firm rejection of North Korea's hopes that the Chinese central government gets directly involved in the projects. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency did not report the comments.

Kim was apparently so miffed that the econocrats accompanying him boycotted his later meeting with Hu.

Hu urged Kim to engage in dialogue with South Korea. "China believes that both sides must maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and uphold the goal of denuclearization, while maintaining objectivity and restraint in tackling obstacles and improving mutual relations."

Kim was quoted as saying he hopes to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, stick to the objective of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and believes that the six-party talks should be resumed at an early date.

He wrapped up his seven-day visit on Thursday afternoon and headed back to North Korea aboard his armored train. He was expected to cross the border early Friday morning.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Chia Head very lonely now?

[Mount Athos]

NK is not trustworthy enough to attract investment.
Chinese investors in NK before had very poor results and treatment.

I heard the starvation going on in NK right now is worse than in the 90s when 2 million died. There should be more reporting on this, even with the difficulty of learning the real situation.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks TigerLikesRooster. Turns out that financing at multiples of equity doesn’t work for whole countries, either.

[tet68]

He so ronnry on his armour train...

[PieterCasparzen]

What a maroon. Too stupid to run his country, to arrogant and paranoid to let someone else do it. An Asian version of Fidel.

And why would China waste any of the 3 trillion dollars in their cash box building his infrastructure ? Who do they look like, America ?

Instead, clever China says - use Western capital. Get South Koreans to give you money.

The U.S. government should be so smart - we’d have 40 carriers, 10,000 planes, 1,000 subs and a booming economy.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Apparently NK regime is exaggerating grain shortage to get enough grains they can hoard and release next year, the Centennial of Kim Il-sung’s birth. NK regime pegged 2012 as the year when NK finally becomes “Strong and Great Country.” They have to do something to show people that the dramatic progress is really made, and the sudden increase of grain supply is how they want to impress populace.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Yeah, all he got is godd*mn pride.

[Mount Athos]

Sorry to bother with another message.
I wonder if you have seen this site:
http://goodfriendsusa.blogspot.com/

I don’t know how credible it is but real information on NK is so hard to come by I find it really interesting.

[Steely Tom]

Did NK ever give those four Chinese diesel locomotives back?

[hinckley buzzard]

No fan of China, but I have the suspicion that they consider NK an albatross around their necks. China seems like it wants to move into the 21st century and Kim is a leftover headache from the last one.

Too bad they don't have the damn decency to dump him and relieve the world of a major hemorrhoid.

[BBell]

Thanks for your link. I always love to get as much information on North Korea I can as it is so difficult to come by. NK is so intriguing as it is by far the most closed society on earth. Have you ever seen this?

Vice guide to North Korea

It's the best view of NK I've seen. I still don't see how the guys who made this amateur documentary made it out without being arrested.

[Dogbert41]

Since China has a Communist in the Whitehouse, they don’t really need to use NK to poke at us anymore.

[dennisw]

Did NK ever give those four Chinese diesel locomotives back?>>>>>>>

Probably not. That happened about 5 years ago when the Chinese sent a trainload of supplies to North Korea and North Korea kept the train

[dennisw]

The Chicoms aren’t going to waste money on this imbecile. That’s what we do.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Good Friends is a Buddhist relief aid agency along the line of bleeding-heart liberals. They have been pushing food aid no matter what NK regime does with donated food.

There have been reports of acute food shortage in NK recently, mostly from aid agencies. While there have been always starvation of one degree or another in some parts of N. Korea, N. Korea's latest plea for food trumpeting another possible catastrophic famine is viewed as exaggerated. The shortfall of food supply is reportedly no worse than previous years.

[TigerLikesRooster]

It is an albatross around their neck for some time. They have been appallingly indecisive on this matter. They favored status quo, believing that it won't hurt their interest. So why risk uncertain change? That was their line. However, things start to deteriorate. N. Korea has become needlessly belligerent. Sinking of SK navy ship and shelling its island just infuriated S. Koreans, especially young people who used to root for appeasement. These days, young people are the most vocal opponents of N. Korea regime, and China as a corollary. Hostility toward Chinese regime, which stubbornly supports N. Korean regime, increased dramatically. Media started to openly talk about arming with SK's own nukes, with or without U.S. support.

I think it made some impact on Chinese leadership.

Besides, now that S. Korea have its aid pipeline slammed shut, China doesn't have to be nice to keep NK under its orbit. Kim used to benefit by playing China off S. Korea or vice versa. Now it doesn't work as it used to.

[TigerLikesRooster]

So far most of Chinese ventures have been money losers. Too much harassment from NK regime on Chinese businesses which set up shop inside NK. They don't even honor rudimentary business contracts. Many of these businesses get ripped off, eventually packed their bags and went home.

Bottom line: Chia Head is not really interested in Deng Xiao-ping style reform. He just wants to have money pipeline, while doing things only his way.

[EdisonOne]

I doubt if the story is as told. My suspicion is that he wanted equal access to Chinese arms as Pakistan was entitled but Beijing held off over concerns it may intimidate the south and Japan.

[ADemocratNoMore]

Wow, BizarroLand, Thank you LORD for allowing me to be born in these United States!. God Bless America!!!.