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DPRK test firing not a hindrance

By Zhang Xin (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-14 07:24

The test launch of five short-range missiles by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday will not derail the prospect of easing tension on the Korean Peninsula, China's Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

The test-firing was the first for the DPRK in months and comes as Pyongyang said it was ready to resume talks on denuclearization.

"We hope all parties remain calm and show restraint to maintain regional peace and stability," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu.

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He also called for all sides to push for an early resumption of the Six-Party Talks.

Ma's comments echo the sentiment of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday. She said that the US and its allies involved in the Six-Party Talks were "unaffected" by the DPRK's latest provocation and talks will not be impeded.

Chinese experts said it is normal for the DPRK to test-fire short-range missiles in order to test and improve the weapons.

"The launch of five KN-02 short-range ground-to-ground missiles is not formidably harmful to any country because of its limited range of below 120 km," said Zhang Liangui, an expert on the DPRK at the Central Party School in Beijing.

However, Zhang said that the launch could have "ambiguous political implications".

"The test-fire could be part of routine military drills, but it is also likely a sort of 'demonstration of its military might' to draw international attention," he said.

Yang Xiyu, a DPRK expert at the China Institute of International Studies, agreed and said that the DPRK's move at this time is more politically motivated.

"The test-fires could be a way to put pressure on the US for a direct meeting," Yang said.

Yang said the DPRK denuclearization issue is not the top issue for the Obama administration, and Pyongyang wants to create more tension on the Korean Peninsula to force the US' hand and push for direct dialogue at the earliest date.

He said the test-fire of five short-ranged missiles is more toned down than the DPRK's previous nuclear test.

Yang also predicts that the other five parties will continue to play down the recent move of DPRK in the current situation to facilitate dialogue instead of confrontation.

Fan Jishe, a professor at the American Studies Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said: "It is a great opportunity for DPRK and the resumption of the Six-Party Talks."

DPRK leader Kim Jong-il told visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao earlier this month that his country was willing to attend multilateral talks.