3 things the Chinese could do to pressure Kim Jong Un
North Korea is among the most isolated and sanctioned countries on the planet. And yet it still somehow has enough cash to develop a nuclear weapons arsenal capable of threatening much of the eastern Pacific and, some day, the United States.
The reason is simple. The regime of Kim Jong Un continues doing $5.3 billion in business each year — 85% of its trade — with China. Amid rising tensions and the threat of war, the best way to force North Korea to curb its nuclear ambitions is if China brings its considerable economic leverage to bear.
For decades, the Chinese have tolerated the Kim dynasty because it serves as a buffer against a U.S. ally in South Korea, and because any collapse risks a tide of refugees flowing across the Yalu River into China. But Kim’s pugnacious obsession with achieving a long-range delivery system for nuclear weapons has changed the calculus. China’s patience is wearing thin.
In the past, China quietly flouted United Nations Security Council sanctions by employing a loophole allowing trade with North Korea if it helps the “livelihood” of ordinary citizens. The result: China was buying $1 billion of North Korean coal a year. But in February, after another North Korean missile test and the alleged assassination of Kim’s half-brother, someone Beijing supported, China finally set aside the “livelihood” loophole and slashed its annual importation of North Korea coal.
The Kim regime has already responded with angry, rhetorical darts in recent days — evidence of just how much clout the Chinese carry. That’s a start. But China could also:
Favor a Security Council resolution restricting oil to North Korea, a true lifeline for the hermit kingdom, which has one refinery along the Yalu River border with China. The idea has gained traction within China, where the state-controlled Global Times has urged leaders to take this step should North Korea continue its nuclear or missile testing.
Aggressively prosecute Chinese companies that funnel advanced technology for long-range missiles or uranium-enriching centrifuges into Kim’s regime. North Korean rocket boosters that fell into the sea after a successful launch last year were scooped up by the South Korean navy and found to contain transmitters, circuity and specialized pressure sensors made by Western countries. They were shipped to North Korea by Chinese distributors, according to a Wash
ington Post report. Eighty percent of foreign goods flowing into North Korea run through Chinese companies. That has to stop.
Crack down on Chinese financial institutions that launder North Korean purchasing money, much of it illegally acquired through drug dealing, counterfeiting and arms sales.
China has already garnered American dividends for showing signs of getting tougher with its neighbor. Gone is President Trump’s fiery rhetoric about a trade war or declaring China a currency manipulator. He is even turning a blind eye for now on Chinese power grabs in the South China Sea, where Beijing has laid claim to disputed islands and reefs.
Tens of thousands, perhaps millions, of lives on the Korean Peninsula are at stake if the tensions flare out of control. China holds the key to keep that from happening.