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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Chinese Businesses Pour into N.Korea's Rajin-Songbong | |
| 2011-02-27 | |
But now sources say Beijing seems to think it is high time to persuade the North to reform and open up as the economy is on the verge of collapse. It is pressuring the regime to develop Rajin-Sonbong into a model of Chinese-style reform, and it needs to use Rason Port for its own Tumen River project. This is swiftly attracting Chinese investment to the area. Beijing reportedly even plans to supply electricity to the Rajin-Songbong area. "The replacement of transformers aimed at getting electricity from China is underway, and Chinese electricity is expected to be supplied from April," said a North Korean defector. Beijing has already established an economic mission there that is to handle any conflict with the North Korean authorities. China pressured Pyongyang to sort out traffic, communication and customs issues, and the North apparently agreed to all demands. "Customs clearance took less than 5 minutes," said a Chinese businessman who visited Rajin-Songbon recently. Previously it took more than three hours and customs officials would extort bribes with false charges. No mobile phone calls to China can be made yet, but landlines are working and mobile phone calls are to be possible soon. Until last year, not even Chinese people were permitted to watch TV channels from abroad and there were tight limits on what they could say or do. But now Chinese are all but free to do as they please in Rajin-Songbon, and the security officials stationed there have been brought to heel and told not to interfere with Chinese business activities. Rajin-Songbong used to have so many security officials that it was said the population was half traders and half police, and they frequently hauled people off for questioning on groundless charges. The North is said to have started selling land in the city to Chinese business at US$50 per 3.3 sq. m downtown and $30 in the suburbs. The Chinese still don't trust the North Korean regime and are reluctant to purchase, but the fact that the land is for sale at all is a momentous change. Pyongyang is in negotiations with Beijing to build a massive industrial park in the area like the joint Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex. "With its isolation deepening due to its nuclear tests, North Korea is seeking a way out through the opening of Rajin-Sonbong," said a recent North Korean defector. It remains to be seen what a role China will play in reforming the North, which has been trying to earn dollars without making any fundamental change to the system, he added. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #5 The Maha-Rushian questionne' is how far KIMMIE + REGIME are willing to escalate matters as per PRESERVATION OF KIM FAMILY RULING DYNASTIC POWER IN NORTH KOREA, WHILE SIMUL NOT BEING BLAMED BY ORDINARY NORH KOREANS + SOUTH KOREA, ETC. FOR THE LOSS OF NORTH KOREA TO OVERT CHINESE CONTROL?? As for ambitious Rising China, de facto Chin takeover of the DPRK does NOT resolve its basic geopol problem as per [Mahanist]lack of OVERSEAS SOLE BASE RIGHTS = WARM WATER PORTS BEYOND THE "FIRST ISLAND CHAIN", WHILE THE RADICAL ISLAMIST THREAT TO CENTRAL ASIA, + NUCLEARIZATION OF SAME [Ex-Soviet -Stans] DOES NOT BODE WELL FOR IT AS A FUTURE MACKINDRIAN GLOBAL-DOMINATING LAND POWER. * TOPIX > POST-SOVIET NEO GLOBALISM. CIS COUNTRIES + GEORGIA STRAIN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY WID THEIR WAR EXPENSES | POST-SOVIET COUNTRIES INCREASE THEIR MILITARY BUDGETS. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2011-02-27 23:52 |
| #4 Steve, I don't think such a future is really all that bad either, but it is important to point out the underlying importance of what is happening. As a Christian and an American, the most important thing in Norkland is liberating the Nork people, who are enslaved. And frankly, control of Rajin is worthless to everyone except China. Of course, China probably views the people of Norkland as worthless as well. So here we have a potential strategic accommodation, where all parties get something they value, while giving up something which is worthless to themselves. The sooner we start, the happier we all will be. |
| Posted by: rammer 2011-02-27 23:05 |
| #3 Rammer: yup, that's how I see it. Not that it would be bad for us to remove our military presence from the Korean peninsula in such a scenario. It presupposes a working accommodation between China and (now one) Korea; the former takes care of the northern enclave it has carved out and the latter works to rebuild the rest. As long as Korea isn't overly cowed by the Chinese, and as long as China doesn't use the end of the North to push aggression on Japan, I'm good with it. We could then deploy our military assets elsewhere. Korea is strong enough to take care of itself, and Japan continues to work with us. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2011-02-27 11:54 |
| #2 Behold the Chinese long-term strategy of patience and long suffering or 'nie sing.' |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2011-02-27 01:29 |
| #1 This is symptomatic of the end of the Norks. The Chinese know that the game is over. They are now just putting markers down on the geography that they want to control after the Norks fall. Expect a final partition of Norkland where the Chinese get the tasty port city and the Skors get the annoying surfs and nuclear wasteland between Rajin and Seoul, while the U.S. is politely asked to pack up and leave. |
| Posted by: rammer 2011-02-27 01:18 |