North Korea's rare swipe at China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang do not entirely see eye-to-eye on the latter's illicit nuclear weapons arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea said.
The North condemned China, Japan and South Korea on Monday for discussing denuclearisation of the peninsula, calling their joint declaration after a summit in Seoul a "grave political provocation" that violates its sovereignty.
Even though Beijing helped tone down the statement by advocating mention of the peninsula rather than the North specifically, that was enough to raise its neighbour's hackles, one analyst said.
"It is notable that North Korea criticised a joint statement that China had signed onto, even after Beijing helped water down the statement," added Patricia Kim, of the Brookings Institution in the United States.
Here are the top political news stories for today.
Many don't understand that the Russia-Ukraine war has been a huge boost for China and it is in China's interest for the war to continue.
Weakens Russia and the US as geopolitical foes
Diverts US attention away from Taiwan
Allows China to gain influence over Russia and Central Asia
Gives China access to Russian goods and materials at cheap(er) prices
Russia losing the war may lead to political instability in Russia
Ukraine is not really a core interest for China to need to support them.
@RiceEvaRepublican2yrs2Y
Yet so far it has been detrimental to the Chinese economy. Also, if Russia does fall apart . . . a nuclear failed state would create a great many problems for China.
when do we all understand that we are already in world war III (Ukraine, Israel, global cybersttacks, etc) with Russia, China, Iran, Northkorea ? The West hast to switch to a war economy. These countries have to be physically cut off from the internet, trade has to be radically reduced, travel has to be curtailed, diplomatic ties massively cut back. Iran should be targeted for regime change.
North Korea currently has about 26 million people, according to the CIA World Factbook's best guess. Just a hair more than Australia, only much poorer. If (when) the Kim regime collapses, there will be a mass exodus from the former state. South Korea is neither willing nor able to support even a fraction of the incoming refugees; in 2017, over 72% of South Koreans in their 20s believed reunification is unnecessary, and a majority are not willing to see their living conditions decline in order to accommodate it (re: Wiki article on Korean_reunification). China is the obvious, and only realistic alternative.
Needless to say, China does not need an extra 20+ million penniless mouths to feed at the moment. They also don't need a nuclear madman at their doorstep who thinks negatively of the Chinese.
@L3ftWingBustardPatriot2yrs2Y
Surely nobody needs a UN resolution to decide for themselves that Putin and Kim are distasteful regimes to be associating with, putting it mildly. China and ourselves are drifting further apart. However big the table and however pretty the silk flowers, the stink pervades.
I am considering buying a Chinese EV. But I really don't like the idea of buying from a country who supports Russia and refers to it as a no-limits partnership. It is just unbelievable. Go ahead and pursue reunification with Taiwan. But it needs to be a long-term project subject to support from the Taiwanese population. If the Chinese population is happy to not elect their leaders and be under constant surveillance then that is fine with me.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
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