Kim Jong Il pays clandestine visit to northern China

As reported in a May 5 New York Times article, Kim Jong Il crossed the Yalu River earlier this week to leave North Korea to make his first foreign visit in four years to China. Though the Chinese government has made a pointed effort to cover up the infamous dictator's presence within Chinese borders, several South Korean and Japanese newspapers have been successful in spotting Kim in the northern cities of Dandong, Dailan, and finally Beijing. In spite of several aggressive attempts against foreign journalists by the Chinese police, substantial evidence has been found to support the belief that he did meet with Beijing officials. It is presumed that he met with leaders hoping to convince him resume talks with the United States, China, and Russia over the North Korean nuclear weapons program. Photographers have noted that his hair has thinned since his last public appearance, and has a limp, evidence that the North Korean dictator hasn't fully recovered from his stroke two years ago.

The Chinese government's high level of secrecy concerning the North Korean leader's visit demonstrates a lack of transparency in affairs of foreign policy. Clearly, the Chinese are not willing to demonstrate a public friendship with North Korea, but wants to pursue diplomatic relations with countries including those infamously associated with a lack of democracy. China sees itself as a pivotal role in influencing North Korea, an example of foreign policy. This could also be seen as a lack of legitimacy in terms of the international political domain, as North Korea serves as a bone of contention among most developed countries.



Photo credit: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/world/asia/06beijing.html?ref=asia

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