Does North Korea’s latest nuclear test highlight Beijing’s waning influence?
How China responds to the reported testing of a hydrogen bomb in North Korea will demonstrate what role they continue to play with the rogue state
North Korea may have explained Wednesday's announced hydrogen bomb test as a response to US “hostility”, but experts say it may more accurately reflect deteriorating relations with China.
The question now is how Beijing will respond: not by abandoning its troublesome ally, experts agree, but perhaps by supporting further sanctions against it. Whether that would have any effect is in doubt.
“In a way, this is a protest against Beijing,” said Bo Zhiyue, director of the New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre at Victoria University of Wellington. “They are saying: 'We can do whatever we want. This shows our independence, and we don't need your approval.' ”
Scientists and officials say the test almost certainly did not involve a hydrogen bomb. But the fourth test of any kind of nuclear device by the isolated country would signal its continuing defiance of the outside world - including China, which has long expressed displeasure with Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
On Wednesday, China's Foreign Affairs Ministry said North Korea had “ignored” objections from the international community to its staging of such tests. “China firmly opposes this,” the ministry said in a statement. “We urge North Korea to fulfill its promise of denuclearisation and stop any actions that would worsen the situation.”