An article over the weekend (China froze exports to North Korea in run-up to Kim’s meeting with Xi, Financial Times Weekend, 31 March) similar on-line story leads with “ China virtually halted exports of petroleum products, coal, and other key materials” just prior to last week’s meeting between the best friends leaders. That kind of makes us believe that the meeting was not just an off-hand get together to discuss strategy before Kim meets with the US representatives. This was something else. In some US circles, this would be called a “come to Jesus” meeting, very fitting at Easter.
The meaning of this Christian-based saying is much like the old Mafia rule: Make them an offer they can’t refuse. The hoopla surrounding the get together of Xi and Kim Jong Un was reported mostly by China and world press outlets as a love fest - best of friends getting together to cement their own successes. FT notes a few skeptics who say the Chinese are famous for manipulating their statistics for their own political purposes, might have some difficulty making these trade numbers what they want them to be and not what they really were. I prefer to believe them this time, because they are dealing with their own child, spoiled by the parents for far too long. He needed a slap on the backside to get his attention, and the Chinese will find it less difficult in the future to have the North follow their direction. Parents know that is not going to happen quickly, nor without further discipline once it has been neglected for so long. It will take a few months to find out if the Chinese are really serious about getting the North under control, or if they want a change of behavior for the North’s meeting with the U.S. They have proved their point, that they will dictate any final outcome of talks with the North. Now, we just have to wait an see if that will be enough. Somehow, I doubt it.
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