Washington Persuades Beijing, “Don’t Indulge North Korea”

On Dec. 14, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg lead a team, including NSC Senior Director for Asian Affairs Jeff Bader, on a visit to Beijing. Steinberg’s main purpose for this trip, according to P.J. Crowley, assistant secretary of state for Public Affairs, is to enhance Sino-U.S. economic cooperation, but in reality, things may not be so simple.

The New York Times wrote a feature article about Steinberg, saying that Mr. Steinberg “earned a reputation for boundless energy and a mastery of subjects, but also for a short temper that sometimes intimidated his subordinates.” Steinberg’s name is perhaps indicative of his Jewish descent. After completing his degree at Harvard, he studied law at Yale. Like most young law students, he interned with a federal judge and later worked as an aide to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. He later worked as an analyst in the RAND Corporation.

Without exception, 90 percent of American Jewish scholars belong to the liberal Democrats; Steinberg is one of them. By appointing him deputy, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has given the most difficult and tricky task to Steinberg. So even before the Senate approved his assignment, he was already negotiating in Beijing.

Sino-U.S. issues cannot be comprehensively listed here. The four important ones are:

1. North Korea strikes Yeonpyeong Island and officially announces the production of nuclear weapons. Korean Peninsula tension increases.

2. China censors news about Nobel Peace Price Laureate Liu Xiaobo and shows no signs of releasing Liu.

3. Trade imbalances between the U.S. and China. The U.S. fights for adjusting the currency rates; China refuses.

4. Iran’s clandestine nuclear production threatens the Middle East from Afghanistan to Israel.

Just looking at these four, it is apparent Steinberg’s trip to China would not be an easy one. The White House paved the way for Steinberg by asking New Mexico Governor and ex-U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson to visit North Korea, using old friendship to lead the front line. Last August, Richardson was invited to Pyongyang, North Korea for a visit. He claims that it was a private trip, not an official visit. But two reporters were blocked when applying to accompany Richardson.

The U.S. policy toward China is holding an olive branch in the left hand and a machine gun in the right hand. While Steinberg is negotiating in Beijing, the U.S. Pacific fleet sent the USS George Washington aircraft carrier for a joint military exercise with South Korea, fully prepared and asserting their stance. U.S. Admiral Michael Mullen warned North Korea for exacerbating conditions in the peninsula.

Although the situation is worsened by military exercises, what the U.S. really hopes for is that China restrains Kim Jong-il, who is continuously ill, and prevents his successor, Kim Jong-chul, from crossing the red line. China is North Korea’s only ally. Under the Hu-Wen administration, Dai Bingguo, who is responsible for China’s Korean foreign affairs, will make a special visit to Kim Jong-il. China just needs one word to move Pyongyang back to the table for the six-party talks. The U.S. will again owe a debt of gratitude to China.