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| China: Pretender or Contender? |
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North Korea
The Chinese have for the past three years now made various attempts to bring about a diplomatic endgame to the question of North Korea. The history of the six party talks is a stark testament to this fact. The Chinese have come out frustrated from several rounds of negotiations, even though on each occasion they offered a whole ensemble of diplomatic sweeteners to get the North Koreans to water down their stance on the nuclear issue. This contrasts sharply with the American administration's stance toward the same subject. Publicly, the Americans have attempted to appear more willing to compromise and less belligerent over the nuclear crisis in North Korea than in the case of Iraq. However, the protracted and sometimes sluggish progress of the six party talks is perhaps an indication that the talks are a vehicle for fomenting disagreement rather than seeking a solution. America's opening gambits in this process have exasperated participants and forced the talks into stalemate, as these positions have been so unworkable that it almost presents the case of feigning a stance.16 This can be seen from the statements that were released after the talks in 2003. The Chinese and the North Koreans were pessimistic, remarking that, "the parties are still some considerable distance apart on these issues". The Americans however described the talks as "very successful".
It seems that the US is prolonging the North Korean issue as part of its curtailment policy towards China. The North Korea nuclear issue is perhaps a convenient obstacle for the Chinese pursuit of stability and influence in the region, especially stability and influence that is free from international involvement. The ongoing Korean tensions expend Chinese efforts unnecessarily and more importantly give suitable justification for a sustained, substantial US military presence in the region. The absence of this issue would allow the Chinese to concentrate on wider concerns, free of international focus on their backdoor. Secondly, this would also give added impetus to the unification movement in North and South Korea, which has always been simmering in the background. A goal that China has harboured for a considerable time.
Implications and conclusions
A major element of China's thinking is a grudging recognition that the world is for the moment unipolar and that US hegemony will persist for some time. Such dynamics in Asia are open to influence, as this is really what China means when she talks about Great Power status. It is a Great Power status impressed upon its own region.
China's new diplomacy is sure to continue, and it will present the rest of the world with both opportunities and challenges. Moreover, China now brings more resources and influence to the table. Even as China becomes more engaged, it is also growing more adept at using its foreign policy to serve Chinese interests (i.e. that of regional domination). Today's China is certainly smarter and more sophisticated - but not necessarily more amenable to the West. Beijing's new skills will now more than ever frustrate Washington's objectives. China's ability to consistently outmanoeuvre the United States at the UN Human Rights Commission in recent years is an example of this.
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