North Korean Reform: Holding in the Smoke

Thank God for those moments when candor at least appears to leak through the diplomatic sieve:

Kim’s lengthy tour of China’s boom cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen suggests that soliciting Chinese support for North Korean economic reform was also high on his agenda. A staff member of a Chinese think tank says on previous occasions when Kim visited developed areas in China, he presented relevant economic reform policies after returning home. However, a source in Beijing said the tour of the capitalist showcases in Guangdong Province “is just a gesture to make it seem as though North Korea is making efforts to be become part the international community through openness and reform. The source said the real purpose of Kim’s visit was likely to explain his position in the nuclear dispute.

Unless, of course, this is merely a show for American eyes. I’m suspicious of China’s sincerity in pushing the North Koreans back to the table. To what end? To stall the talks and forestall a more decisive U.S. policy until the Howard Dean administration?

Update: I’m not alone in my suspicions. HT China-e-Lobby.