Sino-US Strategic Cooperation on North Korea’s Satellite Program

North Korea has finally developed the technology to launch a ballistic missile. This is hard to say, because we as outsiders do not know whether or not this is intended to launch a satellite. As scientists, we do not know anything about the installations and so can’t press North Korea — which will simply “parrot” that they are working to launch a satellite.

Whether or not this is a satellite program, this technology is ballistic and thus a violation of two UN Security Council resolutions. However, after over 10 years of development, North Korea still failed in successfully launching a satellite — named, as always, “Bright Shining Star” — meaning that it is still unable to become a strong and prosperous nation.

Since 1998, with Bright Shining Star 1, until 2009’s Bright Shining Star 2 and the most recent attempt coined Bright Shining Star 3, North Korea has spent 10 years attempting and failing to launch a dazzling satellite. The nation works behind closed doors, and I’m afraid it won’t have any success until number 6.

But North Korea isn’t complying with the UN. The Security Council does not give it permission to develop ballistic missiles, launch said missiles, or even launch a satellite. Whether it is for military purposes or to actually launch a satellite, all of these programs use ballistic technology.

This is not to say that the UN has forbidden North Korea to have a satellite. It has the right to peacefully develop its airspace; this is the right of any country. The UN has also not forbidden North Korea from developing a military satellite. But the Security Council has not given it permission to launch a satellite. North Korea could drill through the legal loophole that the Security Council does not forbid satellites but has not granted it permission to launch them. In this case, why not ask its allies to launch the satellite instead? Under its own program, it has spent nearly one billion U.S. dollars, while help from another country would cost only tens of millions.

North Korea has this mindset; once a beggar, always a beggar. A national satellite is a matter of prestige. And North Korea is an extremely suspicious country; I fear it has ulterior motives. The concept of launching a satellite is a ruse; it’s really about developing the delivery system.

Recently some have claimed that the Sino-U.S. trust is nothing new. But I figure that this strategic trust, even if inconsistent with the facts, is a novelty.

This article focuses on these new aspects. We cannot discuss all of the aspects of Sino-U.S. strategic cooperation, but there certainly is cooperation in trying to prevent North Korea from launching a satellite. As mentioned earlier, the UN Security council has forbidden North Korea from developing the capabilities to launch ballistic missiles, including the U.S. and China. That America would not allow the North to dally with ballistics is not hard to understand. The part that is new is that China is agreeing with the United States. Beijing and Washington both agreed to UN Security Council resolution 1874 on North Korea’s efforts to launch a satellite or missile.

In 2009, when China and the U.S. both opposed North Korea’s actions, they cooperated in restricting its behavior under international laws. It appeared that the two nations were cooperating strategically. Now the U.S. and China continue to work together in the UN in what again seems to be strategic cooperation. China and the U.S. cooperate in a number of different realms, but their cooperation on strategic issues remains limited. As with the North Korea situation, the Iran issue is an opportunity to improve strategic cooperation and develop trust while reducing suspicions.

North Korea’s satellite launch was unsuccessful and disheartening. The Security Council has not expressed its annoyance because of the psychology of North Korea’s leaders; instead it has taken a more obtuse approach, replacing phrases like “censure” with “regret.” This stern yet not antagonistic wording is a sign of a new form of cooperation between China and the U.S. It is the American habit to take a tough stance against North Korea, and Beijing does not wish to see an endless series of attempts to launch a satellite.

Recently in Turkey, Iran’s nuclear development program and six-party talks also fostered cooperation. Iran has the right to develop nuclear energy for security purposes, but its secretive development has aroused the suspicions of the international community, so Sino-U.S. cooperation in the UN Security Council pushed through a number of resolutions banning Iran from enriching uranium. However, it has continued to enrich uranium to 20 percent concentration, a shockingly illegal move.

The U.S. and other countries need to be patient in negotiations with Iran. As long as the enrichment program is minimized we should compromise and allow Iran to continue some enrichment. In other words, as long as concessions lead to peace, the U.S. and other nations should be willing to compromise. This is the strategic cooperation between China and the U.S. in balancing their interests.

So if things are to advance on the North Korean issue, will setting aside the relevant UN resolutions on sanctions under the premise that North Korea be allowed to launch a civilian satellite reduce U.S. concerns about the North Korean missile threat? These are the strategic areas where China and the U.S. can cooperate.