Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is presently in China for three days of talks meant to focus on strengthening economic ties and resolving currency and trade issues between the United States and China. But security concerns involving North Korea and China’s long-standing role as Pyongyang’s chief protector and economic lifeline are likely to command center stage, at least behind the scenes.
North Korea merits primary attention, and ultimately condemnation from the United Nations and strict sanctions enforced under multilateral treaties. That became evident last week when South Korea’s patient forensic investigation into the explosion that sank a South Korean naval vessel in contested Korean waters in March, killing 46 seamen, confirmed the discovery of North Korean torpedo pieces recovered from the site. The pieces reportedly match those of a CHT-02D torpedo that North Korea sells abroad.
The evidence included propeller pieces, motors and a steering section with a North Korean serial number. It was enough for Secretary Clinton to tell Chinese officials Monday that U.S. support “for South Korea’s defense is unequivocal.” She went on to request support from China for strict new sanctions on North Korea to coerce improved behavior from Pyongyang.
The question is whether China will publicly acknowledge North Korea’s role, press its leadership to act responsibly, and push it back into the six-party talks designed to eliminate its nuclear weapons. If past experience is any indication, China and North Korea both are unlikely to do more than stall.
North Korea has continued to deny its responsibility for the unwarranted attack on the South Korean ship. It also has declared that if South Korea retaliates, as its hawkish lawmakers demand, it would escalate the conflict. With thousands of artillery pieces pointed at Seoul and more than half a dozen nuclear weapons available to Pyongyang, South Korea is rightly proceeding cautiously.
In fact, the Seoul government has no good alternative. It is ready to take a U.S. offer to conduct joint naval patrols in contested waters and to beef up its anti-submarine defenses. It also will participate in invoking a regional multilateral treaty which gives South Korea and international partners authority to search and block sea traffic to ensure that North Korea is not shipping and selling more torpedoes and nuclear capacity to its Middle East customers.
Whether South Korea and the United States can secure tough and broader United Nations’ sanctions is problematic. China would have to approve stricter sanctions. In past crises involving North Korea’s serial provocations, China has usually refrained from hammering its North Korea neighbor. Though Beijing says it wants a stable Korean peninsula, it seems content playing its influence over North Korea’s antics as a foil to achieve its own economic and military goals.
But with the torpedo evidence at hand, the United States, the United Nations and South Korea — which is to host the next session of joint Asian economic talks this weekend — and world leaders have good reason to demand more from China and North Korea. The smoking-gun evidence hardly could be stronger.