(News Focus) China likely to maintain cautious reaction to ship sinking

By Lee Chi-dong
SHANGHAI, April 30 (Yonhap) -- Friday's summit between South Korean President Lee
Myung-bak and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao paved the way for cooperation
between the two countries in responding to North Korea's possible involvement in
the sinking of a South Korean naval ship, government officials said, but analysts
were skeptical that Beijing would unilaterally support Seoul's punitive measures
against its communist ally, Pyongyang.
Hu and Lee's sixth summit, briefly opened to the press, started with Hu's
condolences to the bereaved families of 46 sailors killed in the sinking last
month. It was the first public comment by China's leadership on the sensitive
matter as suspicions are mounting that the North attacked the 1,200-ton ship
Cheonan while it was on patrol just south of the divided Koreas' tense Yellow Sea
border.
Hu's remarks were received as a positive sign by South Koreans officials as they
seek China's cooperation in dealing with the tragedy that frightened and angered
the nation over who might be responsible.
Should North Korea be found to be involved, China's support would be crucial in
referring the case to the U.N. Security Council, which Seoul officials said they
would do.
China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, has often
downgraded strong responses sought by South Korea, the U.S., and Japan to the
North's provocations, including missile and nuclear tests.
Any U.N. sanctions against the cash-strapped North would be limited in effect
without China's full-fledged participation because of China's continuously
flowing economic aid to its ally. Many agree that China is the only country that
can apply biting political and economic pressure to the North.
"The two leaders had serious discussions on the Cheonan incident," Lee Dong-kwan,
senior secretary for public affairs at the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae,
said in a press briefing. "The South Korea-China summit today was the (fastening
of the) first button for formal consultations (between the two sides on the
matter)."
Before the summit, Cheong Wa Dae tried to lower media expectations amid a flurry
of reports that the Cheonan issue will be high on the agenda. Some newspapers
said the degree at which the issue is addressed in the summit would be a test of
their "strategic cooperative partnership" agreed upon in 2008.
"What if China keeps mum on the issue?" a Cheong Wa Dae official said to
reporters privately. "Such media reports may cause a misunderstanding by China
that the South Korean government is using the media to get what it wants."
But Cheong Wa Dae appeared largely satisfied with the results of the summit, in
which it said Hu highly assessed the "scientific and objective" investigation by
South Korea that is being conducted with the assistance of the U.S. and other
foreign countries.
The planned trips to South Korea by Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi and
Premier Wen Jiabao will provide chances for the two sides to engage in more
detailed discussions, especially if the cause of the sinking is verified.
Analysts agreed that the summit-level dialogue between South Korea and China on
the matter was meaningful in itself.
"It was not unusual diplomatically for Chinese President Hu to express his
condolences in a meeting with President Lee, especially after the funeral for the
victims yesterday," said Cheong Seong-chang, a specialist on North Korean
politics at the Sejong Institute in Seoul. "Nonetheless, the summit showed the
possibility of their close cooperation once the cause of the incident is
ascertained."
Even if the North is found to be involved, however, China will likely ask South
Korea to respond in a calm and collected manner, he added.
"China has long stressed that the South and North Korean issue should be resolved
through their dialogue and cooperation," he said.
lcd@yna.co.kr
(END)