China's little brother playing with dangerous weapons

China's little brother playing with dangerous weapons

BEIJING (NRK.no): "We have nurtured a monster in our bosoms," was my Chinese friend's dumbfounding comment on North Korea's successful launch of a long-range missile

"We talk about that now they can reach neighboring countries with their rockets. But they can also reach targets throughout China. Scary. "

The comment reflects the Chinese view of North Korea's rulers: This is not a regime relying on China. Despite the fact that the Chinese government is north korea The industry's main supporters, both financially and politically.

For the regime in North Korea do not even listen to the advice of his best friend in the world.

Before launch, China sent a senior envoy to North Korea's capital Pyongyang to ask the country's dictator Kim Jong-un refrain from shooting out such a long-range missile. China's envoy pointed out that this would be contrary to the decision of the UN Security Council demands that North Korea must stop all their activities with ballistic missiles.

After firing when China also condemned North Korea Ernes actions, as South Korea, Japan and the U.S. have done.

The new "Emperor"

North Korea's new leader Kim Jong-un is only 29 years old, and the third generation dictator of the country's communist "imperial family". His grandfather, Kim Il-sung, was a long time after his death still designated as the country's president. In april Mon celebrated the centenary of his birth with attempting to launch a similar rocket, but then exploded missile after a minute.

North Koreans believed it was also important to send this signal aggressive front elections in Japan on Sunday and South Korea next week. Previously you had announced that the launch would be delayed because of technical problems. Hence came the event quite unprepared for both the neighboring countries and the rest of the world.

Nuclear Fears

North Korea has always claimed that the rocket has peaceful and civilian purposes. It should launch a satellite into space - a task that it failed. U.S. have confirmed that the satellite has now gone into a polar orbit.

No satellites neighboring countries and the United States fear. Such long-range missiles is almost exactly what it takes to deliver nuclear bombs over long distances. With the current range Unha-3 missile has, it can reach targets as far away as parts of the U.S. - and as I said most of China and other neighboring countries.

North Korea currently has enough plutonium to make a handful of nuclear bombs. Their problem - for now - is that they have not managed to make bombs small enough to be placed as nuclear warheads on long-range missiles such as the one today was launched.

But they are making progress, and since 2010 also started a program for enriching uranium. It can give it access to additional nuclear material.

China will have peace

When the North Koreans manage to make small enough nuclear warheads, they will all have pulled the technology to threaten large parts of Asia and Eastern Pacific - including the United States. Thus, the country can be a very unpredictable force that can lead to major military instability in this part of the world.

China does not fear now that they will be threatened by such missiles. But they know that instability in the region could also affect them, not least financially, in that neighboring countries should allocate more resources to defense - and by that they will accuse China of not having prevented North Korea from developing such weapons.

Military first

North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un will be able to bask in this military power demonstration, something which is especially important in the internal power struggle. His father introduced a policy whereby the army would be first - and then civil society. If it was then back something to the common people.

With today raked triumph may just be that dictator Kim Jong-un thinks he's so strong that economic reforms for the public is completely unnecessary.