a 'strongly dissatisfied' beijing

Analysts agree that North Korea’s third nuclear test will prove to be one of the more humiliating events in modern Chinese foreign policy. Following the emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council, Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi affirmed that China was “strongly dissatisfied and resolutely opposed,” to North Korea’s actions and called on the country to "stop any rhetoric or acts that could worsen situations and return to the right course of dialogue and consultation as soon as possible.” Although Mr. Jiechi’s statement exhibits the growing exasperation felt by Chinese officials towards their reclusive neighbor and its belligerent manner, it does nothing to herald the arrival of a necessary meaningful reaction. China has been far too silent, and the fear of the presumed bi-products of the collapse of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea do not justify prolonging the country’s muteness.

A fear of instability is at the root of China’s silence following the recent events in North Korea. North Korea both acts as a buffer to American interests in the South and its collapse threatens to destabilize parts of the northeast corner of China as an untold number of refugees cross the border. Not only does this pose a threat to the resources and security of the region, but moreover the huge influx of Koreans could lead to a call for independence reminiscent of that of Tibet. On these grounds, China has offered North Korea with diplomatic cover and large amounts of aid so that the country may subsist. Furthermore, China has promised to provide their paranoid neighbor with security should it choose to abandon its nuclear program - an offer not taken advantage of.

North Korea’s behavior has not changed and is itself a cause for instability and an increased American presence in Asia. This year’s State of the Union Address from President Barack Obama was marked with a vow to boost missile-defense capabilities in Asia and “lead the world in taking firm action in response to [North Korean] threats,” - news that needlessly to say was not well-received in Beijing. China’s dedication to peace in East Asia should encourage it to adjust the lens through which it views its neighbor. The 2010 attack onYeonpyeong Island which killed 4 South Korean citizens in addition to recent blunt threats to South Korea and the United States should be evidence for North Korea’s aggressiveness. Rather than a tool in maintaining stability, North Korea is itself the cause of a lot of China’s woes.

Regime change in North Korea should be presumed probable. There is hope for a stable evolution to a humane regime, and yet it would be reckless to not prepare for the worst. The collapse of the D.P.R.K. could be sudden. Despite this ominous future, Beijing has been very reluctant to engage in the dialogue needed to form a coherent plan for the inevitable. China is beginning to risk losing face with respect to the rest of the world and rather than an asset, North Korea has become a liability for the world’s emerging superpower. 

A version of this article appeared on the Opinion Page of Washington Square News, Feb. 26 2013