05-09-2020, 02:05 PM
** 09-May-2020 World View: China's offer to help N. Korea fight coronavirus raises suspicions
China's president Xi Jinping sent a message to North Korea's child
dictator Kim Jong-un calling for more efforts to strengthen
co-operation in preventing the spread of the coronavirus, and said
China was "willing to continue to provide assistance within its own
capacity for [North Korea] in the fight against Covid-19."
Xi also said he highly appreciated Mr Kim's support during China's
outbreak and "showed his personal attention to the situation of the
pandemic and people's health" in North Korea.
Xi's message was a response to Kim's earlier message to Kim, saying
that he "congratulated him, highly appreciating that he is seizing a
chance of victory in the war against the unprecedented epidemic."
These are just two seemingly ordinary friendly communications between
two dictators, but as usual with Chinese and North Korean policy, you
have search for hidden messages.
Supposedly, North Korea is completely free of the Wuhan Coronavirus,
according to its own claims. North Korea was the first to shut down
travel from China, closing the border in late January and ordering the
army to kill anyone who tried to cross it. Nobody really believes
that North Korea is free of the virus, but the fact that Xi offered to
help is a statement by Xi that he doesn't believe it either.
But it's more than that. Xi could have sent his message privately.
Instead, his message was very publicly published in the Chinese
Communist media. This suggests not only that Xi believes that North
Korea has a significant coronavirus problem, but that he
diplomatically wants to force Kim to admit it.
The existing situation is very dangerous to both China and North
Korea.
North Korea depends on cross-border trade to feed its people. If
cross-border trade were completely shut down, it could threaten the
Kim regime, which would be a diplomatic disaster for China. Trade
between North Korea and China is down by 90% in March.
If there's a widespread infection in North Korea, it would overwhelm
the North Korean health system, which would also threaten the Kim
regime.
If there's a significant infection in North Korea, it would likely
spread across the border into China.
So there are many reasons why Xi Jinping is concerned about a North
Korea infestation, and he may be signaling that Kim had better admit
it and start taking care of it.
Separately, in South Korea, nightclubs and bars in the capital city
Seoul have been ordered closed again, following a new outbreak linked
to a man who visited multiple nightclubs and bars.
---- Sources:
-- Coronavirus: China offers to help North Korea fight pandemic
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52597749
(BBC, 9-May-2020)
-- North Korea’s Trade With China Continues Rapid Decline
https://thediplomat.com/2020/05/north-ko...d-decline/
(Diplomat, 9-May-2020)
China's president Xi Jinping sent a message to North Korea's child
dictator Kim Jong-un calling for more efforts to strengthen
co-operation in preventing the spread of the coronavirus, and said
China was "willing to continue to provide assistance within its own
capacity for [North Korea] in the fight against Covid-19."
Xi also said he highly appreciated Mr Kim's support during China's
outbreak and "showed his personal attention to the situation of the
pandemic and people's health" in North Korea.
Xi's message was a response to Kim's earlier message to Kim, saying
that he "congratulated him, highly appreciating that he is seizing a
chance of victory in the war against the unprecedented epidemic."
These are just two seemingly ordinary friendly communications between
two dictators, but as usual with Chinese and North Korean policy, you
have search for hidden messages.
Supposedly, North Korea is completely free of the Wuhan Coronavirus,
according to its own claims. North Korea was the first to shut down
travel from China, closing the border in late January and ordering the
army to kill anyone who tried to cross it. Nobody really believes
that North Korea is free of the virus, but the fact that Xi offered to
help is a statement by Xi that he doesn't believe it either.
But it's more than that. Xi could have sent his message privately.
Instead, his message was very publicly published in the Chinese
Communist media. This suggests not only that Xi believes that North
Korea has a significant coronavirus problem, but that he
diplomatically wants to force Kim to admit it.
The existing situation is very dangerous to both China and North
Korea.
North Korea depends on cross-border trade to feed its people. If
cross-border trade were completely shut down, it could threaten the
Kim regime, which would be a diplomatic disaster for China. Trade
between North Korea and China is down by 90% in March.
If there's a widespread infection in North Korea, it would overwhelm
the North Korean health system, which would also threaten the Kim
regime.
If there's a significant infection in North Korea, it would likely
spread across the border into China.
So there are many reasons why Xi Jinping is concerned about a North
Korea infestation, and he may be signaling that Kim had better admit
it and start taking care of it.
Separately, in South Korea, nightclubs and bars in the capital city
Seoul have been ordered closed again, following a new outbreak linked
to a man who visited multiple nightclubs and bars.
---- Sources:
-- Coronavirus: China offers to help North Korea fight pandemic
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-52597749
(BBC, 9-May-2020)
-- North Korea’s Trade With China Continues Rapid Decline
https://thediplomat.com/2020/05/north-ko...d-decline/
(Diplomat, 9-May-2020)
