Tag: China

I think it depends on what one defines economic development as meaning.  If making enough money to keep the ruling elites in power is the goal of the Kim regime they are doing a good job of that along with developing their nuclear weapons:

The United States and China will use next week’s high-level strategic talks to discuss ways to get North Korea out of the “fantasy” that it can revive its broken economy without having to give up its nuclear program, a senior U.S. diplomat said Thursday.

Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel made the remark during a Foreign Press Center briefing previewing the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) to be held in Washington from Monday through Wednesday, saying Washington and Beijing share the same goal of ending Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

“North Korea harbors the fantasy that it can have its cake and eat it too,” Russel said. “North Korea is hoping to be able to rescue itself from the economic failure of its system through external aid while simultaneously and brazenly carrying forward on its nuclear and missile program. That’s just not going to happen.”  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but as I have long said there is right now no good reason why the North Koreans should stop their pursuit of nuclear weapons.  Promises of “economic development” only matter if the Kim regime cared about the welfare of all their citizens.  Right now they are doing enough to keep the elites in power by getting enough aid from China and managing their global illicit operations.

China’s Maritime Disputes: Trouble to the South, but the East Stays Quiet http://t.co/4A7YwgcXDC pic.twitter.com/LJIShgF3Yb

— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) June 13, 2015

This could just be China cracking down on North Korean soldiers coming across the border and murdering Chinese citizens:

Chinese border guards shot and killed one person who was allegedly trying to illegally cross from North Korea on Thursday, authorities said.

The incident took place shortly before 4:00 p.m. (0800 GMT) after the suspect attempted to evade arrest by border guards, according to a brief statement from the Helong city government in Jilin province. It said the shooting is under investigation.

China’s 1,416-kilometer (880-mile) border with North Korea is a key crossing point for refugees from the impoverished hard-line communist state.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

It has been well known that China has paid online commenters that many in China call the “50-Cent Army” or “50-Cent Party”.  One of the 50-Cent Army used to regularly post here on ROK Drop.  Now due to leaked emails the size of China’s 50-Cent Army is now known; they have an incredible 89 million members:

On May 17, a hacker nicknamed XiaoLan leaked a package of emails revealing details of the recruitment of college students by the Shanghai League of Communist Youth, one of the most significant Chinese Communist Party organizations under the single party regime. The students serve as voluntary online commentators that spread positive energy and “purify” the internet.

The existence of the commentators is not a state secret: the latest round of massive recruitment was revealed in a document issued by the China Communist Youth League in February 2015. The League set out to recruit no less than 20 percent of its members to serve as “civilization volunteers” by spreading positive energy and acting as models for “good netizens”.

The League had more than 89 million members at the end of 2013, which means it must recruit around 18 million “civilization volunteers” to meet its target. The characters depicted in the sketch at the top of this post are two figurative examples of “civilization volunteers” posted by the Youth League in April on China’s Twitter-like Weibo.

Pro-government Internet commentators are a constant target for criticism by China’s netizens, who give them the sarcastic nickname of “wumaodang” or “50 Cent Party” in English, since it is said that they receive a typical payment of half a Chinese Yuan per post, equivalent to 8 cents in U.S. dollar terms.

Though the nature of their work is similar, the “civilization volunteers” are political loyalists who do not receive payment at all. The hacker’s revelation shows that the League mobilized its members for Internet-civilizing via its college sub-branches.  [Global Voices]

You can read the rest at the link, but remember that these college students they recruit are also mobilized to do the government’s bidding in countries overseas.  Many ROK Heads may remember the Olympic Torch violence in Seoul perpetrated by Chinese college students mobilized by the Chinese embassy in 2008.

The new PACOM commander is not mincing words about what he thinks of the Chinese land and maritime grabs in the South China Sea:

The newly promoted head of U.S. Pacific Command on Wednesday described China’s claims to a vast swathe of islands in the South China Sea as “preposterous.”

China’s disputed island claims was one of several challenges Adm. Harry B. Harris, Jr., said he would face as the new head of PACOM during his change-of-command ceremony, whose backdrop was the submerged USS Arizona Memorial.

At the same ceremony, Adm. Scott H. Swift assumed command of U.S. Pacific Fleet, which Harris had commanded since October 2013.

Secretary of Defense Ash Carter told the audience that the U.S. opposes any further work by China to militarize disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Harris projected a scrappy stance toward China in his remarks.

“So ladies and gentlemen, our president is crystal clear,” Harris said. “The U.S. will rebalance to the Pacific. Our joint forces will work closely with our allies and friends in the Indo-Asia Pacific region.”

And the greatest challenges those forces face, he said, are from North Korea, “with its quest for nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them intercontinentally,” China’s “preposterous claims to and land reclamation activities in the South China Sea,” and a “resurgent Russia” in the Pacific.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.

It may be noteworthy that the Chinese actually bring up the instability on the peninsula being caused by North Korea, but are they willing to take any measures to do something about it?:

China has expressed concerns over instability on the Korean Peninsula, in a rare public departure from its staunch loyalty to North Korea.

In a white paper released Tuesday, the Chinese Defense Ministry said, “The Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia are shrouded in instability and uncertainty.”

These have “a negative impact on the security and stability along China’s periphery,” it added.

This suggests that China is determined to remain active in trying to curb North Korea’s nuclear arms development.

The paper also cites security threats like the U.S.’ “pivot to Asia” or reorientation of defense efforts to deter China, Japanese rearmament, and maritime disputes in the South China Sea.  [Chosun Ilbo]

You can read more at the link.

China tops US as biggest oil importer—and inherits loads of Mideast headaches. @KFJ_FP reports http://t.co/lAKKgI9mbi pic.twitter.com/ORY1AYzDMX

— Foreign Policy (@ForeignPolicy) May 11, 2015

It looks like the Kim regime has found another way to bring in hard currency:

A Chinese province bordering North Korea will kick off its first four-day train tour to the reclusive state later this month, according to China’s state media on Saturday, joining other border regions that have begun train tours to the North.

The tour will take Chinese tourists to North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang from the Chinese border city of Dandong on May 26, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported, citing a tour agency in the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning.

The report is the latest sign that North Korea has approved more cross-border tours for Chinese tourists to earn hard currency since it lifted travel restrictions imposed due to concerns over the Ebola virus.

During the four-day tour, Chinese tourists will also visit the southern border city of Kaesong, Mt. Myohyang and the truce village of Panmunjom, which sits in the middle of the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas, according to the report.

The trip costs from 2,000 yuan (US$321.90) to 3,000 yuan, the report said, without elaborating.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link, but I think it is safe to say that the North Koreans will not be detaining or shooting these tourists.

China's Air Superiority Fighters Are Getting Stealthier http://t.co/jsfxNeajNB pic.twitter.com/sUs98EUakd

— The Diplomat (@Diplomat_APAC) May 6, 2015

It seems to me that this “Silk Road” initiative is an attempt by the Chinese to put infrastructure in place in neighboring countries so that they become more dependent on Chinese trade and thus can be more easily controlled by Beijing:

China has told North Korea that its ambitious Silk Road project aimed at reviving the ancient trade route between Asia and Europe would bring a “historic” opportunity to advance bilateral cooperation between the two nations.

The Chinese ambassador to North Korea, Li Jinjun, made the remarks at a meeting with the North’s Vice Foreign Minister Ri Gil-song on Monday, the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang said in a statement.

It was the second time in less than two weeks that the Chinese ambassador publicly briefed North Korea on Beijing’s Silk Road project.

With a US$40 billion fund, China has aggressively pushed for the so-called “One Belt, One Road” initiative aimed at building ports, expressways, railways and other infrastructure with its neighboring countries.

“China is pushing ahead with the ‘Belt and Road’ initiative that will bring new and historic opportunities for bilateral and regional cooperation,” the Chinese ambassador was quoted as telling the North Korean official.

On April 23, the Chinese ambassador met North Korea’s Minister of Foreign Trade, Ri Ryong-nam, and expressed hope for the North to join the Silk Road project.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.