As Barack Obama was visiting Asia earlier this month, his friendly reception in country after country provoked a somewhat forlorn response from one Chinese official. “Look around the world. The US has dozens of well-established alliances,” he said. “We only have one.”
And what an awkward alliance it is. Over the last few days Beijing has once again been put on the spot about the close ties with North Korea and its dictatorship, kept afloat by Chinese aid and political protection.
The shelling on Tuesday of a South Korean island and news that Pyongyang appears to have developed a sophisticated uranium enrichment facility have provoked a loud call from world capitals – China must put more pressure on North Korea.
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