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China's Premier Wen Jiabao waves beside North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il after his arrival in Pyongyang - Source: Reuters -
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China pledged to strengthen bonds with isolated North Korea,
calling their relationship a boon to peace, while reports of swoops
on North Korean ships underscored strains behind a recent easing of
tension.
The renewed courting between the two communist neighbours came in
messages between Chinese President Hu Jintao and North Korea's top
leader, Kim Jong-il, who greeted Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the
start of a visit intended to bolster bilateral relations.
The messages marked 60 years since the countries established formal
ties on October 6, 1949, and made no mention of the North's nuclear
weapons programme, stressing instead their focus on shoring up
sometimes tense ties.
"History demonstrates that developing China-North Korea relations
is in keeping with the fundamental interests and shared wishes of
both countries' people," said the congratulatory message from
China, issued by the official Xinhua news agency.
"It also benefits protecting regional peace and
stability."
In a message to China, Kim Jong-il and other North Korean leaders
said relations would "constantly consolidate and develop," Xinhua
reported.
The mutual wooing between the world's third biggest economy and the
impoverished, reclusive North sets apart Beijing's approach to
Pyongyang from the harder line long favoured by Washington, Tokyo
and other regional capitals.
Other governments have pushed China to use its crucial energy and
food supplies to the North to put more pressure on Pyongyang to
curb nuclear weapons development.
Beijing has been angered by Pyongyang's nuclear threats, but
said repeatedly that sanctions will not work, and only renewed
negotiations can bring progress.
Analysts said Wen's visit, however, was unlikely to yield more than
opaque promises on the nuclear dispute.
"I think the chances of real progress are small," said Zhang
Liangui, an expert on North Korea at the Central Party School, an
influential state institute in Beijing.
"Through visits like this, North Korea is mostly trying to create
the impression that other countries respect and heed it, that it's
a world power.
Of course, that's not true, but the impression helps its leader
bolster his authority."
Pyongyang has sometimes appeared prickly about the size and
influence of its much bigger neighbour, which has backed United
Nations resolutions condemning North Korea's nuclear tests.
But Kim made a rare appearance to greet Wen at the start of his
trip, showing how serious is about ties with China. Kim is widely
believed to have suffered a serious illness last year.
On Monday, Wen visited a martyrs' cemetery for Chinese soldiers
killed in the Korean War, when Beijing supported beleaguered North
Korean communist forces, Xinhua reported.
Where next for nuclear negotiations?
Fresh reports on detention of North Korean sea traffic serve as a
reminder that the country remains shunned by most of its neighbours
and under international sanctions.
South Korea's Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported on Monday that South
Korean authorities had seized four cargo containers belonging to
North Korea under UN sanctions imposed in response to its missile
and nuclear tests.
The reported seizure of the North's cargo would be the first by
Seoul under a June Security Council resolution.
South Korea's spy agency and its maritime police made no comment
on the report.
Indian warships detained a North Korean cargo ship on Friday for
dropping anchor in Indian waters without permission, a navy
spokesman said.
He said the ship was empty and nothing incriminating was
found.
Despite the rousing welcome in Pyongyang for Wen, the two sides
appear divided over the future of six-party nuclear disarmament
talks that Beijing has hosted since 2003, said Zhang, the
Beijing-based expert.
China wants North Korea to return to the intermittent talks, an
important platform for Beijing to show its diplomatic
prowess.
The talks among the two Koreas, China, Japan, Russia and the United
States ground to a halt about a year ago, with Pyongyang saying it
would no longer attend the negotiations aimed at curtailing its
nuclear weapons capability in return for aid.
North Korea's Premier Kim Yong-Il - no relation to his supreme
leader - told Wen that Pyongyang was open to bilateral or
multilateral talks on its nuclear weapons programme.
But echoing recent statements by North Korean officials, Premier
Kim made no express endorsement of the six-party talks.
"North Korea is much more interested in bilateral talks with the
United States, or some multilateral format that excludes Japan,
even maybe China." said Zhang.
"That's an important point of division for the visit," he said of Wen's trip.
