Kimchi and dim sums

In the new global world order, it’s hard not to deny that USA is the only superpower. Blame it on financial crisis or manufacturing and services reforms, China has given US a run for its money. With stockpiles of forex to invest, China is being wooed by old and new countries and powers. Though there are signs that costs in China are rising which might lead others to be similarly competitive but no one agrees that the supply chains created are very hard to bypass China. China is ofcourse on a global buying spree as well. It has even started to throw its weight around and it has not got unnoticed world over. China’s neighbours, who didn’t mind using China’s cash have started to be very cautious of the strings attached to them. This has led to new alliances in Indian Ocean and South China Sea. Suddenly US has become a very welcome guest with permissions to even conduct naval exercises. It certainly has caused exchange of words between China and US and some of China’s neighbours. America has stuck to its old rhetoric of freedom and respect to woo these nations. In the wake of this, I believe the issue of North Korea becomes very interesting. North Korea has always troubled US since the days of Korean War, when UN forces led by US failed to unify Korea under capitalist government (similarly China & Soviets failed to win South Korea and bring it communist fold). The biggest reason that China got involved in the war was the risk of having capitalists at its own border separated by Yalu river. China still holds that chip. It supports North Korea and can’t allow it to be a new bastion of US. If it falls in line with US, there is a great risk of having Americans sitting at their door. To not allow this, China has being very close and has controlled the policies of North Korea. It might continue to do so, especially with US becoming more active than ever before in Indian Ocean. The N. Korea issue perhaps needs to be resolved through China’s angle. There might be some assurances that need to be made. Perhaps, never station any American or South Korean troops on their soil. Also no military or naval exercises in that region might be helpful. Lets see how it pans out in the future.