Talk to Kim, it could save world from catastrophe

Russian President Vladmir Putin is right when he says sanctions will not work on North Korea. It didn’t work before, it won’t work now as the rogue country ups its game of nuclear brinkmanship. What’s the way out of this dangerous situation? China could stop doing business with the regime for a start. But Beijing faces a blowback from Kim Jong-un who it has supported all these years. Three generations of the dynasty were used by China to promote its strategic goals. In fact, 90 per cent of the North’s business ties are with China. The dragon keeps the engine of the despot’s economy running by supplying it with oil. As things stand, China is caught in the middle, a situation it is desperately trying to extricate itself from as its credibility is on the line.

Any conflict could see millions pouring across its common border with North Korea, a humanitarian crisis which the country wants to avoid. President Xi Jingping knows he’s treading on eggshells in this crisis. North Korea’s threats appear real and China could be drawn into a conflict if the United States decides to rain ‘fire and fury’ on Pyongyang. South Korea and Japan, who are allies of the United States, also face Kim’s wrath. This alliance is the main reason for the dictator’s nuclear ire. Militaries of the United States, South Korea and Japan hold regular military drills in the Pacific that have roiled Pyongyang. Kim wants this to stop while Washington demands that the North roll back its deadly programme that is now targeted at the United States. Only Putin is thinking a way out of this ‘military hysteria’. He sees a global catastrophe if nuclear buttons are pressed. In this scenario, it’s not difficult to imagine ‘mass extinction’ — a nuclear apocalypse. A common approach from China, the US and Russia could work. Kim is looking for concessions, not sanctions. Who knows, he could be more hurt than angry. To find out, why not open a channel of communication with the desperate despot before it’s too late.