WILL BEIJING RESPOND TO CLINTON'S WISH LIST?
Massimo Calabresi/Washington
Time, February 16, 2009
North Korea has a long history of communicating with the United States through provocation and brinksmanship, and it has played to type ahead of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's four-nation trip to Asia that began Sunday. In recent weeks, Pyongyang has annulled its maritime border with South Korea, renounced the non-aggression agreement between the two countries, and moved missiles and equipment around in ways that could signal preparations for a launch, according to U.S. officials.
For her part, Secretary Clinton has responded with understated coolness, continuing the State Department practice of publicly and privately encouraging the North not to do anything stupid. On Friday, she told reporters, "We hope that North Korea will refrain from provocative actions and words at this point." And before her departure, U.S. diplomatic sources say, the State Department weighed in with the Chinese in hopes that they can dissuade any bad behavior by Kim Jong Il.
Washington's latest contact with the Chinese is, in many ways, more interesting than the predictable pre-trip posturing by Pyongyang. Change is afoot in Washington, and China, which controls much of the food and fuel that keeps North Korea afloat, has more reasons than usual to try to help. Where Clinton's goals on the Japan, Indonesia and South Korea legs of the trip are fairly straightforward, U.S. policy towards China is in flux, and there are opportunities for Beijing to shape and take advantage of a new relationship with Washington.
Massimo Calabresi/Washington
Time, February 16, 2009
North Korea has a long history of communicating with the United States through provocation and brinksmanship, and it has played to type ahead of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's four-nation trip to Asia that began Sunday. In recent weeks, Pyongyang has annulled its maritime border with South Korea, renounced the non-aggression agreement between the two countries, and moved missiles and equipment around in ways that could signal preparations for a launch, according to U.S. officials.
For her part, Secretary Clinton has responded with understated coolness, continuing the State Department practice of publicly and privately encouraging the North not to do anything stupid. On Friday, she told reporters, "We hope that North Korea will refrain from provocative actions and words at this point." And before her departure, U.S. diplomatic sources say, the State Department weighed in with the Chinese in hopes that they can dissuade any bad behavior by Kim Jong Il.
Washington's latest contact with the Chinese is, in many ways, more interesting than the predictable pre-trip posturing by Pyongyang. Change is afoot in Washington, and China, which controls much of the food and fuel that keeps North Korea afloat, has more reasons than usual to try to help. Where Clinton's goals on the Japan, Indonesia and South Korea legs of the trip are fairly straightforward, U.S. policy towards China is in flux, and there are opportunities for Beijing to shape and take advantage of a new relationship with Washington.
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