China wants North Korea to avoid sabre-rattling US, South Korea, Japan; Here’s why?

Image Credit: ANI; Representational purpose only

Beijing: China wants North Korea to avoid threatening the West's economic and political interests in the Korean Peninsula region, especially during the National Congress, where Chinese President Xi Jinping will be elected for an unprecedented third term, according to media reports. China does not want Western military might to have a dominant presence in the Korean Peninsula, which is critical to China's security mechanism. According to Geo Politik, the Peninsula shares a long border with China's industrial heartland in the country's northeastern provinces.

However, North Korea appears to be unconcerned about China's feelings and has conducted ballistic missile testing at a time when Beijing is trying to avoid being distracted by tensions on its doorstep. According to Geo Politik, Xi wants the National Congress to go smoothly so that he can be elected President for the third time for a five-year term, and China has even called off high-voltage military drills around Taiwan. Many of China's actions were taken solely to demonstrate to the world that it did not want tensions to rise in and around China during the National Congress.

The Party Congress provides a conduit over China`s stance in its forthcoming political, diplomatic, economic, and strategic fronts and that is why it becomes crucial for Beijing to remain alert on how it responds and reacts to situations in Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait. North Korea, under Kim Jong Un, has however demonstrated that "no compromise" will be made when it came to displaying its military strength in the Korean Peninsula. 

According to military experts, there is a fear of further escalation of tension. It is especially as North Korea is preparing for a nuclear test, the first by Pyongyang in nearly five years. If indeed the nuclear test takes place it would aggravate the situation in the Korean Peninsula. If the situation escalates, it will annoy China because it would provoke the US, South Korea, and Japan as all these three nations will run to strengthen their military standing in the Peninsular region.

(With ANI inputs)