Third, Hu's attitude showed China's true position regarding regional affairs, as one of the major regional powers. As if to prove this point, Hu consistently restricted the scope of the peace and stability issue to the Korean Peninsula. Creating a much more secure international environment has long been one of the highest priorities in China's contemporary diplomacy. But Hu's remarks relayed a message to Seoul that, as far as Beijing is concerned, South Korea is no longer in a position to discuss Northeast Asian regional affairs eye to eye, head to head with China.

Hu's position on the regional issue was also confirmed by his affirmative statement on his nation's relations with North Korea. Despite the fact that Hu treated Roh's as a national visit, the Chinese leader's words at the post-summit press conference on July 7 may have lent some comfort to Pyongyang. When questioned at the press conference regarding China's willingness to play a much more active role in inducing North Korea to multilateral talks to resolve Pyongyang's nuclear standoff with the Washington, Hu with a simple sentence removed any doubt about China's ability to do so. That is, there is an effective communication channel between Beijing and Pyongyang at work.

Jaewoo Choo Asia Times July 16, 2003