Op-Ed Contributors

Mixed signals from Kim's visit

By Zhang Liangui (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-05-12 07:54

As a state that once acceded to the NPT and later withdrew from it, the DPRK is facing tremendous pressure. So amid such a backdrop, its leader's China trip left the international community guessing. Pyongyang had played a tactical card.

Second, the sinking of a Republic of Korea (ROK) warship in March, which killed 46 sailors, shocked Seoul as well as the global community.

Although the results of the investigation have not yet been officially announced, Seoul gave strong indications that it believed the DPRK was involved in the incident.

The ROK will take up the matter with the UN once the probe concludes. Then, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China's stance would become critical.

When he was here for the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo on April 30, ROK President Lee Myung-bak held talks with President Hu Jintao on several important regional issues including the "Cheonan" investigation.

Kim Jong-il arrived in China soon after Lee left. The timing and the courteous reception Kim received agitated some in the ROK, as it appeared (to them) that China had taken the side of the DPRK in the inter-Korean confrontation.

On May 3, ROK's First Vice-Foreign Minister Sin Kak-soo summoned Zhang Xinsen, the Chinese ambassador to the ROK, to express Seoul's position on Kim's China trip.

Summoning the Chinese ambassador over a specific case was a rare gesture by the ROK government.

It is understandable that Seoul felt uncomfortable over the timing of the DPRK leader's trip to Beijing.

Even so, such a strong reaction reflects Seoul's misunderstanding of China's role in the Korean Peninsula dispute. The fact is, China has long been striving for peace and stability in the peninsula.

Third, the DPRK wants to be an "economic power".