US officials see China rethinking North Korea stance

China is rethinking its relationship with North Korea and may signal greater sympathy for South Korea over the sinking of one of its warships when Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao visits Seoul this week, US officials said on Wednesday.
China, North Korea's last major ally, is frustrated with Pyongyang and may soon signal a willingness to discuss how the United Nations should respond to the March sinking of the Cheonan, which killed 46 sailors, according to the officials.
One noted that China has sought to avoid taking sides and has done little to try to address South Korean sensitivities over the incident, one of the deadliest between the Koreas since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Beijing props up the North Korean government and its destitute economy almost single-handedly, but has refused to endorse an international investigation that last week concluded North Korea deliberately torpedoed the South Korean corvette.
South Korea, with US support, has said it wants to take the issue to the UN Security Council. Beijing is all but certain to block new sanctions on its ally, but it might support a carefully worded condemnation of Pyongyang. The North has said to cut all ties with South Korea and has threatened to close the last road link with the South if Seoul resumes propaganda broadcasts across the militarised border.
A US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the likely occasion for China to signal its shift would be Wen's visit on Friday and Saturday. "I think you will see them suddenly and carefully move closer to the South Korean position and I think you will see them begin a process of talking to the South Koreans about an appropriate international response," the official said. He suggested the UN Security Council may need to complete a fresh sanctions resolution against Iran over its nuclear program before seriously taking up the North Korean issue.
"There is profound frustration with North Korean behaviour and with the way in which it complicates China's own security calculations," said another official. The United States has tried to deter the North by tightening Washington's military co-operation with the South, where it has some 28,000 troops stationed. Among the steps Washington and Seoul are contemplating are joint military exercises, measures to sharpen readiness among their forces and tighter intelligence co-operation.