Chinese Media Commentary on North Korean Nuclear Issue
Despite China’s open pledge to help the U.S. solve the North Korean (DPRK) nuclear crisis, and despite China’s open regret over North Korea’s unilateral withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the government of China still carries out an openly anti-U.S. propaganda war on the issue of the Korean nuclear crisis. A brief analysis of the news items and commentaries on July 6, 2003, from the website of the official Chinese news agency Xinhua indicates that: the official line of the Chinese government on the issue of North Korean nuclear issue is contradictory to China’ open statements of being helpful; and that these news items and commentaries on the Xinhua website are overwhelmingly hostile to the U.S. position on North Korea, blaming the U.S. as the root cause for the current crisis, some even urging an immediate Chinese military buildup and a Chinese nuclear umbrella in the Korean Peninsula directly challenging the U.S. military presence there.
The following is a breakdown of articles on this issue that appeared on the Xinhua website on July 6, 2003. They are divided into three groups (A, B and C).
|
Total articles from the Xinhua site (not counting the repeated ones): 84 |
Number of Articles in each category |
Percentage |
Level of animosity toward U.S and U.S. policy toward DPRK nuke program |
Sample titles of articles in each category |
|
A |
28 |
33% |
Very (or Directly) Hostile |
"U.S. Hawks Threaten War on DPRK;" "DPRK People’s Army Issues Severe Warning against U.S. Troops in South Korea." |
|
B |
52 |
62% |
Moderately (or Indirectly ) Hostile |
"Russia Opposes Sanction against DPRK;" "Washington and Seoul Have Different Ideas on Solving DPRK Nuke Problem." |
|
C |
4 |
5% |
Not hostile |
"U.S.-Japan-S. Korea Trilateral Meeting on DPRK Nuke Problem." |
Articles and Commentaries On DPRK Nuclear Issue from Xinhua’s website http://www.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/cxhwt/ (14 July 14, 2003)
Prepared by: Maochun YU.
Related xinhuanet.pdf article.