Chinese Reaction to the Korean Situation

The soundbites coming out of Beijing have been rather interesting. Remember of course that Beijing has used its proximity (both physically and ideologically) to Pyongyang as strategic clout in order to leverage itself as the foremost Asian power. Shortly after Kim Jong-il’s death was announced, China’s foreign ministry released a statement, saying they were “shocked” by his death. Keeping in mind the revival of ties between the military junta in Myanmar and the United States a few weeks ago, in which India played the role of matchmaker extraordinaire; China is rightly worried about any possible weakening in Pyongyang’s hardline anti-US stance.

Diplomatic circles have been abuzz over the opportunity for North Korea’s Asian neighbors, especially India, to capitalize on this sea change in Korean leadership and attempt to exploit any possible uncertainty in foreign policy that might ensue. That being said, New Delhi will be understandably cautious in its dealings, should the new DPRK leadership decide to reach out to erstwhile ally Pakistan and renew nuclear proliferation ties, India’s security will understandably be directly affected.