Superpower politics is alive and well. If in doubt, ask Chinese leader President Xi Jinping. It is a mark of its alertness that China keeps its eyes open at all times. Keen observers would have concluded by now that it is not an accident that relations between Pyongyang and Beijing are chummy again while America’s relations with the two communist states have come under increasing strain.
It was only last year and the year before that President Trump and the North Korean dictator were exchanging brickbats and insults. The former had wanted the latter to scale down his nuclear ambitions for the sake of a peaceful world. Like a statesman that he is, President Xi had joined in to put pressure on the baby-faced tyrant to comply with the stipulations of the United Nations.
Eventually, Kim was forced to the negotiating table. He and Donald Trump met in Singapore earlier this year and agreed on a range of issues which included nuclear disarmament. This led to a thaw in relations. Meanwhile, the Chinese were closely monitoring the situation with Chairman Kim visiting China three times this year.
Now, the Americans are stunned that Kim is refusing to play ball. Talks seemed to have stalled between the US and North Korea on the nuclear issue.
Where the Americans perhaps seemed to have got it wrong was that they believed the North Koreans would dismantle what took them decades to build after a few rounds of talks. In any case when China joined in to put pressure on Kim to negotiate, it was not that the Chinese were about to drive Kim into the arms of the West. They were just playing their part in ensuring world peace and ensuring that the chubby-cheeked North Korean dictator tone down his bellicosity.
The North Koreans realise however that the Chinese are still there for them and therefore believe they can defy the Americans but in a more subtle way this time around. It is hardly surprising then that President Donald Trump has accused China of undermining talks between the US and North Korea on the nuclear situation.
Kim Jong-un is thought to have invited the Chinese leader to review the Foundation Day celebrations in Pyongyang marking the 70th anniversary of the creation of North Korea. The visit would be Xi’s first trip to North Korea since Kim came to power in late 2011.
A ceremonial honour guard from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army could join the serried ranks of North Korean troops and military hardware in a highly symbolic gesture of amity.
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