North Korea worries Blinken's trip may lead to US

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, Monday. AP-Yonhap

Beijing's attempt to manage bilateral tensions ruffles Pyongyang: analysts

By Jung Min-ho

North Korea on Wednesday belittled U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent visit to Beijing as a "begging trip" to reduce bilateral tensions, in remarks analysts believe revealed the regime's desire to maintain the Cold War-like status quo.

Citing Jong Yong-hak, an analyst on international affairs, the North's official Korean Central News Agency portrayed Blinken's trip as an admission of the failure of U.S.' policy of putting pressure on China, following one of the most significant exchanges between the two nations under President Joe Biden.

The state news agency then slammed the "double-dealing and impudence" of Washington, siding with Beijing, which demands the lifting of all U.S. tech restrictions targeting Chinese companies.

"China tends to view North Korea as a liability when it has a good relationship with the United States and treats it as an asset when that relationship is bad. The media report shows North Korea's anxiety about a possible U.S.-China detente," Park Won-gon, an expert on North Korea at Ewha Womans University, told The Korea Times.

"China has given undivided support for the North on the world stage (such as at the United Nations) in recent years. It fears that China's support may weaken as its relations with the U.S. improves," he added.

In other words, Pyongyang fears a scenario where China uses North Korea as a diplomatic card against the U.S. Taking advantage of the new Cold War climate amid Russia's war in Ukraine and China's intensifying hegemony rivalry with the U.S., the North has been able to develop unlawful weapons, while avoiding additional sanctions with China and Russia ― permanent members of the U.N. Security Council ― rejecting any united move to punish its behavior.

A TV screen shows a report of North Korea's missile launch at Seoul Station, June 15. AP-Yonhap

According to Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute, North Korea does not want any change to an ideal geopolitical environment where it can continue to develop new weapons with few or no consequences. But if China so chooses, he added, there are many areas where it can influence North Korea.

"It can, for example, control the number of Chinese tourists there; it can also strengthen law enforcement on trafficking of, say, luxury goods, which could affect the North Korean ruling class directly," he said.

Aware of Beijing's leverage, Blinken said he urged Chinese leaders to help resolve the North Korean nuclear issue during his visit, saying that it "is in a unique position to press Pyongyang to engage in dialogue and to end its dangerous behavior."

To experts, however, a Chinese change in stance on North Korea is very unlikely. Given that the Sino-U.S. competition continues to grow more confrontational and uncompromising over many long-term complex issues, China will likely keep the North close by, they added.

"If the U.S. wants China's cooperation on major issues such as the North Korea nuclear one, it should offer China something in return," Cheong said.

"But compromising issues such as Taiwan or the U.S.-led semiconductor alliance is unthinkable for U.S. politicians. This means a drastic improvement in the U.S.-China relationship ― and, therefore, change in the geopolitical dynamics regarding North Korea ― is very unlikely."