Hu Jintao congratulates Kim Jong-il, ignores heir
Seoul (AsiaNews) – Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a message congratulating North Korean leader Kim Jong-il for his re-election as general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK). He praised the North Korean leader for his great achievements in building a Korean-style socialism.
Over the years, the president said, the Korean people have made great strides in building the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) into a strong and prosperous nation, developing its national economy, and improving the people's lives.
Hu noted that China and the DPRK have “profound traditional friendship”, close geographic relations and “extensive common interests”, and that, “despite the ups and downs of the international situation”, they would always handle, maintain and boost bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective.
“We are willing to make joint efforts with the DPRK to continuously promote China-DPRK relations to a higher level, in order to better benefit the two peoples and make greater contributions to realizing lasting peace and common prosperity in the region," Hu said in the message.
According to Wei Jingsheng, the great Chinese dissident, the relationship between China and North Korea is, “like the relationship between two thugs, a big one and a small one. Firstly, the small one needs the big one. Secondly, the big thug deals with his big rivals. Thirdly, the small thug is certain that the big one will protect him. Fourthly, the big one claims he has nothing to do with the small one, but in fact tells or shows him every move to use in future compromises. Finally, the small thug must have a great impact to force his rivals to accept a compromise with the big one when they cannot stop the small one from pestering them”.
In short, China uses North Korea as an attack dog to threaten the world. The North Korean regime cannot survive without Beijing’s support and the latter expects absolute obedience, especially in foreign policy, to continue supporting it. Case in point: Kim Jong-il travelled to China last month to get Hu Jintao’s blessing for his succession plans.
Seen from this perspective, the absence of any reference to Kim Jong-un in Hu’s message of congratulations is significant according to analysts. What is more, not only did Hu ignore the presumptive heir to the Kim dynasty, but also Kim Jong-il failed to recognise officially the 28-year-old as his successor.
However, the Dear Leader’s third son, nicknamed the “brilliant comrade” by North Korea’s propaganda machine, was not totally ignored. In fact, after being raised to the rank of general during the first party conference in over 30 years, he was appointed vice president of the Central Military Commission of the ruling Workers' Party and became a member of the party’s Central Committee.
Although many expected the conference to designate the young man as Kim Jong-il’s heir, that was not the case. AsiaNews sources in Korea stressed however the appointment of the Dear Leader’s 64-year-old sister, Kim Kyong-hui, as a four-star general. Know as the “Lady Macbeth of Pyongyang”, she and her husband, Jang Song-taek, are moving up the hierarchy. Since June, she has occupied the post of vice president of the National Defence Committee.
Sources also noted that Kim Jong-il chose the couple, plus two high-ranking officers, to prepare his son to take over when the time comes.
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