Why Beijing Is Unhappy About the S. Korean Warship Investigation

Li Tianxiao

The March 26 sinking of the 1200-ton South Korean warship Cheonan killed 46 sailors, hitting the headlines and grabbing the world』s attention. A multi-national investigation team concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the warship.

Being a rogue state and persisting in testing nuclear weapons, North Korea』s torpedo attack did not come as a big surprise. What is impressive is that South Korea reacted with composure. S. Korea conducted a detailed, rigorous and thorough investigation, and responded to the incident with restraint.

South Korea Responded Calmly

Even though this attack is tantamount to an act of war, S. Korea did not immediately hold N. Korea responsible. as According to Lee Myung-bak, President of S. Korea, they 「considered all possibilities" and launched an extensive investigation. Only after conclusive evidence such as torpedo fragments with North Korean engravings was discovered in the wreckage of the warship did S. Korea draw the conclusion. Before releasing the official report, S. Korea disclosed information about this incident to more than 30 countries including China, Japan and Russia. President Lee also made a trip to inform Beijing on the situation .

Therefore it follows as natural for S. Korea to call for condemnations of N. Korea. U.S. President Obama expressed full confidence and support for the S. Korean government's response. The White House issued a statement strongly condemning N. Korea, and the U.S. is now working with S. Korea to impose sanctions against N. Korea.

But Beijing Makes Excuses

In sharp contrast, Beijing was not happy when the N. Korean attack was confirmed. First, it refused to listen to the investigation result presented by President Lee in a South Korea-China summit meeting on April 30 using the excuse that 「this has not been released publicly.」 After that, it kept postponing all attempts to inform it of the investigation before it went public.

Next, Beijing arranged North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il』s unusual high-profile visit to China, the purpose of which is to elevate Kim, to pressure Lee to shut up, and to deter S. Korea and the international community from imposing possible sanctions.

When Zhang Xinsen, China』s new ambassador to S. Korea recently visited South Korean politicians, he only met with opposition party leaders but not leaders of the ruling party. In his meeting with opposition party leaders, he said deliberately, "It seems there is no conclusive evidence proving who sank the warship Cheonan.」 This shows China refuses to accept evidence provided by S. Korea earlier.

Zhang also refused to attend the meeting when the S. Korean government revealed the investigation result. He deliberately sent low-level envoys to attend it.

Finally, when S. Korea publicly announced the investigation』s result, the Chinese Foreign ministry, in a seemingly evenhanded manner, called on "all parties to be calm, to exercise restraint and properly handle relevant issues." But Xinhua News Agency then stressed N. Korea』s opposition and strong response, saying that N. Korea will answer this with 「all-out war."

CCP Is N. Korea』s Patron

Why is the Beijing so displeased and disturbed by the truth of the sunken warship? There are several unpleasant reasons for this.

First, it is very likely that Beijing knew all about the incident quite early. As the major benefactor of N. Korea, it is out of the question that the Beijing was uninformed of such a big move made by its protégé. This explains why Beijing repeatedly refused to listen to the investigation result, and S. Korea』s persistent attempts embarrassed Beijing because it intended to play dumb. Beijing deliberately sent low-level envoys to attend the briefing with the intention to show its dismissive attitude on the one hand, and to give 「native」 S. Korea a lesson.

Second, the truth about the incident will expose Beijing』s support of N. Korea, leaving Beijing in a dilemma. It is well-known that the Chinese Communist Party is the patron of North Korea. The CCP controls North Korea's economic lifeline, and provides it with advanced military technology. 90 percent of N. Korea』s oil supply, 80 percent of consumer goods and 45 percent of its food are provided by China. It is because of the CCP's economic support that North Korea is able to develop its military industry, including the manufacture of torpedoes and other weapons. It is also with the support of the CCP that North Korea dared to launch attacks. Once it was confirmed that N. Korea had sunk the Cheonan, the world』s attention would be drawn to the CCP.

On the one hand, Beijing has to follow the international trend of sanctions against N. Korea, but this will weaken the power of N. Korea, that is, it will weaken the CCP』s ability to challenge the U.S. by means of North Korea. On the other hand, if China acts against the international community, and vetoes in the UN Security Council despite the hard evidence offered by South Korea, it will completely isolate itself, and has to give up the pretensions of being "neutral" and "evenhanded." Confronted with this dilemma, the CCP had to resort to expedients like "refusing to listen to and denying the result," "arranging a high-profile visit for Kim Jong-Il," and "calling on all parties to be calm and exercise restraint," in the hope that these would cover up or cut down the significance of the incident. Meanwhile, the CCP also tried to clarify its relationship with N. Korea. It orchestrated shows such as: "Irritated by Wen Jiabao, Kim Jong-Il left before ending the scheduled trip,」 and published a "solemn statement" on the so-called "breakthrough of North Korean nuclear fusion."

Third, the truth of the incident signals the bankruptcy of the CCP』s strategy of making friends with both N. and S. Korea. The CCP forms a military alliance with North Korea in the Korean Peninsula, and establishes a "strategic partnership" with the South for the purpose of intervening between the U.S. and South Korea. The Cheonan incident forced the CCP to reveal its true colours, because it had to support N. Korea and put pressure on S. Korea. In this regard, how can the Chinese Communists be not angry? Xinhua News Agency deliberately emphasized that "N. Korea will wage all-out war," which is actually the CCP』s own threat.

The consequences of the incident are still rapidly fermenting. For the CCP, too much scheming in this incident is, ironically, the cause of its discontent.