China’s reaction to NK rocket launch

In this Sunday, April 15, 2012 photo, released by the Korean Central News Agency and distributed by the Korea News Service on April 16, 2012, North Korean leader Kim Jong- un acknowledges cheers during a mass military parade in Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Square to celebrate the centenary of the birth of his grandfather, national founder Kim Il Sung in Pyongyang, North Korea. <AP/Newsis>

People are wondering how China react to a series of events which took place in North Korea including failed missile launching and centennial celebration of Kim Il-sung’s birth. Besides official announcement by Chinese government, many Chinese news media carried their commentaries related to what has happened in North Korea lately.

The People’s Daily reported Tuesday (April 17) that “what is happening on the Korean peninsula is not an affair only confined to the South and North Korea but an issue, related to the security and stability of whole world, requiring global cooperation for its solution.”

Guangming Daily, the Chinese Communist Party organ, specified the political significance of Kim Jong-un’s election as the party first secretary and the National Defense Committee Chairman, saying that “the age of Kim Jong-up has set sail.”

Meanwhile, the CCTV, China’s official TV broadcaster, Tuesday (April 17) interviewed two famous commentators. They were Yin Zhuo, researcher at the China’s Peopl’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Center, and Hong Lin, commentator on current international affairs.

Yin said “Kim Jong-un’s speech demonstrated throughout the world that North Korea’s change of power has successfully finished. The South Korea and the United States should no longer think that North Korean regime is in disarray.”

He further said his speech had clarified the basic direction of its future policies based on the military-first policy and diplomatic posture toward the U.S. and the South.

The other commentator Hong also looked the recent events in the North positively. “A series of recent developments in North Korea involving the rocket firing and massive celebrations are closely related. It is no other than a demonstration that Kim Jong-un’s new regime is well on the way, while displaying its mighty military capabilities.”

Chinese major media viewed the recent incidents in the North positively, but ordinary Chinese citizens were seemed dissatisfied with recent such attitude.

The SINA, a Chinese portal site, reported lately that “Chinese relationship with the North was so close that it once was called as the relation of the teeth and lips. But, now such relation has changed into a state that the teeth bite the lips. The whole relationship should be thoroughly reviewed.”

It also carried a joke related to the North Korea’s recent launch of the rocket. The joke says “Being asked when will it be fired, the North replied 10 second later.” The joke which reflect China’s failure of knowing recent North Korean military move in advance, is said to have rapidly spread throughout China.

In the meantime, a Russian media criticized North Korean missile launching for having helped the U.S. restrain China. “The missile firing was rather beneficial for South Korea, the U.S., Japan and North Korea itself, but not for China,” it said.

Wang Xuan news@theasian.asia