InfoAnda - China, between a rocket and a hard place on North Korea |

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Taylor Swift announces Asia, Europe 2011 tour | | 24 November 2010
Taliban, military attacks in deadly lockstep | | 12 November 2010
India exports accelerate in August | 2 October 2010

White House says world can't delay on Iran | 21 February 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : China, between a rocket and a hard place on North Korea |

Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Home Business Business Home Economy Technology Media Small Business Legal Deals Earnings Social Pulse Business Video The Freeland File Markets Markets Home U.S. Markets European Markets Asian Markets Global Market Data Indices M&A Stocks Bonds Currencies Commodities Futures Funds peHUB World World Home U.S. Brazil China Euro Zone Japan Mexico Russia India Insight World Video Reuters Investigates Decoder Politics Politics Home Election 2012 Issues 2012 Candidates 2012 Tales from the Trail Political Punchlines Supreme Court Politics Video Tech Technology Home MediaFile Science Tech Video Tech Tonic Social Pulse Opinion Opinion Home Chrystia Freeland John Lloyd Felix Salmon Jack Shafer David Rohde Bernd Debusmann Nader Mousavizadeh Lucy P. Marcus David Cay Johnston Bethany McLean Edward Hadas Hugo Dixon Ian Bremmer Lawrence Summers Susan Glasser The Great Debate Steven Brill Jack & Suzy Welch Breakingviews Equities Credit Private Equity M&A Macro & Markets Politics Breakingviews Video Money Money Home Tax Break Lipper Awards 2012 Global Investing MuniLand Unstructured Finance Linda Stern Mark Miller John Wasik James Saft Analyst Research Alerts Watchlist Portfolio Stock Screener Fund Screener Personal Finance Video Money Clip Investing 201 Life Health Sports Arts Faithworld Business Traveler Entertainment Oddly Enough Lifestyle Video Pictures Pictures Home Reuters Photographers Full Focus Video Reuters TV Reuters News Article Comments (0) Slideshow Video Full Focus Editor's choice Our best photos from the last 24 hours. Full Article Images of March Follow Reuters Facebook Twitter RSS YouTube Read Obama healthcare could worsen U.S. debt: Republican study 9:41am EDT China suspends Bo from elite ranks, wife suspected of murder 11:49am EDT Dental x-rays linked to common brain tumor 7:48am EDT N.Korea says ready to launch rocket, prompts warnings 10:40am EDT Sony sees record $6.4 billion loss on tax hit | 9:51am EDT Discussed 308 Tyler Perry Pulled Over, Accuses White Cops of Racial Profiling via Facebook 291 Analysis: Justice Kagan–Giving liberals a rhetorical lift 286 Trayvon Martin call was ”mistake, not deliberate”: NBC Watched Transgender beauty says she wants to compete for Miss Universe Tue, Apr 3 2012 Journalists tour Pyongyang Mon, Apr 9 2012 Social media as South Korean political tool Mon, Apr 9 2012 Pictures Reuters Photojournalism Our day's top images, in-depth photo essays and offbeat slices of life. See the best of Reuters photography. See more Inside North Korea Rare scenes from within the reclusive nuclear state. Slideshow Holy week Easter processions from around the world. Slideshow China, between a rocket and a hard place on North Korea Tweet Share this Email Print Related News North Korea says ready to launch rocket, prompts warnings 10:50am EDT White House warns North Korea over missile launch 10:53am EDT Russia criticizes North Korea over launch plans 10:53am EDT Analysis & Opinion China’s positive data hides healthy economic pain World Bank wackiness explains odd U.S. choice Related Topics World » China » North Korea » Related Video Journalists tour Pyongyang Mon, Apr 9 2012 North Korea confirms rocket launch 1 of 12. A soldier stands guard in front of the Unha-3 (Milky Way 3) rocket sitting on a launch pad at the West Sea Satellite Launch Site, during a guided media tour by North Korean authorities in the northwest of Pyongyang April 8, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Bobby Yip By Benjamin Kang Lim BEIJING | Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:48am EDT BEIJING (Reuters) - A joke circulating among officials in Beijing pretty much underlines the bind China is in over North Korea's plans to send a satellite into space. North Korea's young ruler Kim Jong-un phones a Chinese leader to tell him about timing of the planned rocket launch. "When will it be?" asks the Chinese leader. Kim replies: "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four..." Beijing has received more notice than that - the launch is likely later this week - but a source close to China's top leadership and a Western diplomat have both said it nevertheless has little influence over Pyongyang and is in no position to block the event. The United States, which has said the launch will give the unpredictable state an opportunity to test ballistic missile technology, wants Beijing to use its influence to halt the lift-off. "China has pressured North Korea to abandon (the launch) because it adds new variables and gives the United States an excuse to return to Asia," the source with ties to the leadership told Reuters, requesting anonymity to avoid repercussions. "China does not want to see this because Beijing and Shanghai are within range" of North Korean ballistic missiles, he said, referring to China's political and financial capitals and providing further evidence that Beijing does not have fully warm and friendly ties with its unpredictable neighbor. Critics however are convinced China, the main provider of food and energy aid to its isolated neighbor, could do more to force North Korea to scrap the launch. Last month U.S. President Barack Obama urged China to use its influence over North Korea instead of "turning a blind eye", and warned of tighter sanctions if the reclusive state presses ahead with the launch. On Monday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said there were signs that North Korea may also be preparing for a nuclear test, its third. "We believe in particular that China joins us in its interest in seeing a denuclearized Korean peninsula, and we are continuing to encourage China in particular to act more effectively in that interest" she said. Nuland told reporters a third North Korean nuclear test "would be equally bad if not worse" than the rocket launch. It would be in the interests of both China and North Korea at this juncture to say Beijing has little influence over Pyongyang. But the countries have maintained warm relations despite tensions in recent years. Before his death last year, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited China four times between May 2010 and August 2011. His son Kim Jong-un, who is now leader of the autocratic state, is believed to have accompanied him on at least one of this trips. The rocket that North Korea has readied for launch from a forested valley in its remote northwest will showcase its ability to fire a missile capable of hitting the continental United States. Pyongyang insists the weather satellite launch will be a milestone to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Kim Jong-un's grandfather, North Korea's founder Kim Il-sung, and backing down now would be seen as sign of weakness at home. Nonetheless, Washington and Seoul suspect it is a ballistic missile test. "They can't launch the thing without using ballistic missile technology which is precluded by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874," said Nuland, the U.S. spokeswoman. "So regardless of what they say about it, it's still a violation." But sending rockets skyward to mark momentous events is a tradition shared by the Communist leaders of both China and North Korea. Having launched satellites in 1982 and 1987 to mark the death anniversary of Mao Zedong and in 1992, 1997, 2002 and 2007 to coincide with Communist Party congresses, China is finding it difficult to convince North Korea to back down. COMING-OUT PARTY Pyongyang's move, analysts say, is also aimed at further consolidating the power of Kim Jong-un, believed to be in his late 20s, who became the third member of his family to rule North Korea after his father's death last December. "If Kim No. 3 requires a symbol of his authority, that rocket launch might be that symbol tied to the legitimacy of the (ruling) Korean Workers' Party," the Western diplomat said. That authority could be challenged if China were to pressure Pyongyang over the rocket launch at this juncture. And Beijing does not want any instability that could arise from a weakened Kim Jong-un. But the real issue may China's willingness to exercise influence rather than its ability to do so. "The question is not if China has or doesn't have leverage to pressure Pyongyang. The question is whether it wants to exercise that pressure," South Korean political commentator Shim Jae Hoon said. "Any sign of displeasure shown by China at this time will not fail to have an impact on Kim Jong-un." And in the end, China sees some value in the North Korean regime as a buffer against South Korea-U.S. military alliance. "The worst case scenario troubling Beijing is the prospect of a democratic, capitalist South Korea reunifying the whole peninsula. China thinks this will bring U.S. military presence close to its border," Shim said. China is caught between a rock and a hard place. "It's troublesome. North Korea is difficult to control. We have no choice but to help them" by continuing to provide aid, the source with leadership ties said, adding that squeezing Beijing's food and energy lifeline to Pyongyang could lead to an exodus of North Korean refugees destabilizing China's northeast. China's relationship with North Korea was once characterized to be "as close as lips and teeth" after they fought side-by-side against the United States and South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. But the two strayed apart after Beijing flirted with capitalist-style reforms -- seen by Pyongyang as a betrayal -- and recognized Seoul in 1992. Deng Xiaoping, China's late leader, once quipped that dynastic succession is not a Communist tradition, riling Kim Jong-il who was poised to take over from his father, sources familiar with China's foreign policy said. China takes great pride in transforming itself into an economic powerhouse from a backwater after just three decades of reform and is growing increasingly impatient with what it sees as an incompetent North Korean leadership which cannot feed its own people, the sources said. "Our relationship with North Korea is no longer 'If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'," a second source with leadership ties said, quoting a Chinese idiom. "Nowadays, the teeth keep biting the lips, and it's hurting." (Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Don Durfee) World China North Korea Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above. Edition: U.S. Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom Back to top Reuters.com Business Markets World Politics Technology Opinion Money Pictures Videos Site Index Legal Bankruptcy Law California Legal New York Legal Securities Law Support & Contact Support Corrections Connect with Reuters Twitter Facebook LinkedIn RSS Podcast Newsletters Mobile About Privacy Policy Terms of Use AdChoices Copyright Our Flagship financial information platform incorporating Reuters Insider An ultra-low latency infrastructure for electronic trading and data distribution A connected approach to governance, risk and compliance Our next generation legal research platform Our global tax workstation Thomsonreuters.com About Thomson Reuters Investor Relations Careers Contact Us Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests. NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.

Other News on Tuesday, 10 April 2012
Exclusive: Aid taps expected to open for new Malawi president: minister |
Helicopter crash kills 6 foreigners in Niger desert |
Brazil complains to Obama about monetary policy |
Libya halts cash for ex-fighters over corruption |
Peru's Shining Path rebels take hostages, free most |
Home-made bomb injures seven Bahrain policemen |
Facebook to buy Instagram for $1 billion |
Court revives Rosetta Stone suit vs Google |
Global business groups press India on technology plan |
Washington's famed Howard Theater back from the brink |
Kerry Washington gets lucky with 'Scandal' |
Lindsay Lohan says club battery claim one big lie |
Raf Simons takes over for Galliano at Dior |
Syrian troops on offensive on deadline day |
U.S. tells North Korea not to carry out nuclear test |
China, between a rocket and a hard place on North Korea |
Suicide bomber strikes Afghanistan's Herat region, 9 dead |
UK's Cameron to visit Myanmar as EU mulls sanctions lift |
China rights lawyer jailed for 2 years, 8 months |
Japan says contingency plans for atomic accidents due soon |
Costa Rican diplomat is latest Venezuela kidnap victim |
Papua New Guinea abandons plan to delay elections after protests |
Facebook to buy Instagram for $1 billion |
Wireless carriers to create database to fight phone theft |
Sony sees record $6.4 billion net loss, to take tax hit |
Sharp seeks more partners for struggling LCD plant: source |
Canadian woman charged with stalking Alec Baldwin |
Kristen Wiig says leaving 'SNL' will be hardest thing |
'Lion King' takes Broadway crown from 'Phantom' |
China, between a rocket and a hard place on North Korea |
China suspends Bo from elite ranks, wife suspected of murder |
Norway mass killer deemed sane in new finding |
Exclusive: China's ZTE planned U.S. computer sale to Iran |
Greece to call May 6 snap election Wednesday: sources |
Malians march for liberation of rebel-held north |
UK can send Islamist cleric to face U.S. trial |
Iran can stand 2-3 year oil blockade: Ahmadinejad |
U.N. convoy targeted in explosion in east Libya: spokeswoman |
CEO sketches out new Yahoo, vows business refocus |
Microsoft to struggle vs. Apple, Google in tablets |
Best Buy CEO out as shoppers move online |
Facebook to buy Instagram for $1 billion |
China Web giants promise to fight rumors: Xinhua |
Android beats Apple in China mobile platform race: report |
Exclusive: China's ZTE planned U.S. computer sale to Iran |
Miss Universe changes rules to include transgender women |
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01