‘China doesn’t want to be seen as a paper tiger’: Beijing in a bind over N Korea’s nuke test

Every time North Korea pushes the nuclear button, China feels the heat. And many are watching to see how Beijing will react as its leverage over it neighbour continues to dwindle.

Analysts said Pyongyang’s defiant nuclear test on Wednesday was a reminder of how China’s declining influence over its ideological ally and Beijing’s conflicting geopolitical considerations were limiting its options.

Many now expect China to support more UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea, just as it did after Pyongyang’s three previous nuclear tests. Diplomatic protests and public condemnations have already been made and China might even impose sanctions on its own.

But analysts said that was about all China would do, and the impact would be minimal.

“It doesn’t want to be seen as a paper tiger,” said Seong-Hyon Lee, an assistant professor at the Centre of Asia-Pacific Future Studies for Kyushu University in Japan, referring to China’s likely support for the UN resolution. “But it won’t go so far as to fundamentally harm its interests with North Korea, such as boarding and inspecting a North Korean ship to check for illegal arms.”

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Jia Qingguo, associate dean of Peking University’s School of International Studies, said Beijing had a difficult decision in how hard it should push Pyongyang.