steph

THE WORST OF FRIENDS (Time 24 July pg36)

North Korea's provocative missile tests have strained the patience of their longtime ally China.

Eversince China's economy has been modernized and prospered, the longtime alliance has been increasingly strained.

Not much effective actions have been done as neither countries want to lose out. China worries draconian sanctions such as cutting off fuel shipments will trigger the regime's collapse. Whereas Korea is afraid to lose China as its largest trading partner. Thus the missile tests situation is rather stagnant.

I fear that the longer it takes to find a deterrent for North Korean provocations will lead Kim to be bolder in his stunts.

This tension reminds us the importance of flexibilty to enable good diplomacy. we must also learn not to take advantage of our political relationships with other countries.

posted by mickeymonkey @ 2:23 pm