Pyongyang’s closest ally may have been frustrated by slow diplomacy
The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to impose sanctions on North Korea for its recent missile tests, reportedly embarrassing the North’s diplomats in Beijing as a result of China casting its vote for the resolution. China is the North’s closest ally. The embarrasment stems from the fact that China, in particular, agreed to wording that North Korea’s missile launches threaten the peace, safety, and security of Northeast Asia by voting for a resolution against the North. Shortly after the vote, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu said, "China is opposed to any actions which would complicate and heighten tension in the political situation on the Korean Peninsula." Beijing has made it clear that it seeks to apply the brakes on both hard-line Japanese proposals and the North’s missile tests.Before the council resolution, North Korea committed a diplomatic protocol gaffe when Kim Jong-il did not meet with Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Hui Liangyu and Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei, who were visiting Pyongyang with a delegation on July 10-15. China lost face due to the incident, as it exposed Beijing’s relatively limited influence on North Korea to the international community. It may have been China’s realization of the limitations of ’quiet diplomacy’ with the North that led it to vote for the U.N. resolution. At present, China faces the issue that there is no clear path to resolving the missile crisis. A diplomatic source in Beijing said, "China tried to persuade the U.S. to lift financial sanctions, citing that they would be ultimately unable to control Pyongyang, saying it should use a carrot-and-stick approach without creating serious instability in the North."
