By Xie Tao
If Xi Jinping is truly to start a new era of Chinese foreign policy, he has to normalize China-North Korea relations.
Imagine that a Japanese solider (whether a deserter or on active duty) sneaks into China and kills four Chinese citizens in a robbery. How would the Chinese government, media, and public react to an incident like this?
Almost certainly, the Chinese government would immediately and publicly lodge a formal complaint with the Japanese government, the Chinese media would feature many front page stories about this incident, and the Chinese public would call for nationwide protests against Japan.
But not so with a North Korean soldier who, on December 28, killed four Chinese civilians in a border village. Some sources say this is not the first time that North Korean soldiers have crossed the border and committed such a crime against innocent Chinese. Yet the Chinese government has consistently tried to cover up such incidents, due to the sensitivity of China-North Korea relations in Chinese domestic politics. In fact, North Korea has become a taboo in domestic discussions about Chinese foreign policy. What has gone wrong with this bilateral relationship?
Read the full story at The Diplomat