North Korea’s missile launch Sunday came at a highly embarrassing time for China, its chief ally and economic partner.
As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepared to inaugurate the Belt and Road Forum, Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile from a base in the country’s northwest, near the border with China.
The forum is China’s answer to Davos or the G20, centered around the colossal One Belt, One Road (OBOR) trade initiative .
OBOR is a personal project of Xi’s, who spoke of the importance of „harmonious co-existence“ with other countries during the opening ceremony. But that harmony was somewhat spoiled by North Korea’s missile launch from a base near the Chinese border hours before Xi started speaking.
Insult to Beijing
While analysts were careful of reading too much into the political timing of the missile launch — pointing to technical considerations and favorable weather conditions — they were clear the move would not be well received in Beijing.
„China will be greatly displeased, “ said Tong Zhao, an analyst with the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy.
He pointed to worsening relations between Beijing and Pyongyang as the US has increased pressure on China to act to reign in North Korea’s nuclear program.
This month, North Korean state media warned China was crossing a „red line“ in relations between the two countries as Beijing danced „to the tune of the US.“
Zhao said that while Pyongyang may not have timed the launch to insult China, that it went ahead with it regardless showed they were unconcerned by potentially angering Beijing.
Also likely to be displeased was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who spoke at the forum shortly after Xi Jinping. According to a US official, Sunday’s missile landed 60 miles (95 kilometers) south of Russia’s Vladivostok region, home to the Russian Pacific Fleet.
It’s unclear why North Korea would fire a missile so close to Russia. Euan Graham, an expert on North Korea at Australia’s Lowy Institute, said it seemed to be a self defeating move by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
