N. Korea must remain reliant on China-Commentary

China's support for North Korea and its present ruler Kim Jong Un will not lessen or decrease post the landmark summit in Singapore between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kim, according to an article (commentary) published in the Hong Kong-based Oriental Daily News, has met Chinese President Xi Jinping on three occasions in the last 100 days, certifying the complete faith and trust that he has in Beijing in seeking guidance on next steps for ensuring his survival as a leader as also guaranteeing peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Beijing has made three commitments to Pyongyang before and after the Singapore summit. These are:

. No matter how international and regional situations change, development of China-DPRK relations will not change

. People-to-people contacts between China and North Korea will not change

. China's support for North Korea will not change

The third commitment, according to the commentary, clearly addresses a major concern of Kim that he has with regard to the attempted yet unverified moves made by the United States and South Korea to seemingly force North Korea into accepting what it calls a "peaceful transformation" from a nuclearised state to a denuclearised one, and a unified Korea similar to what has happened with Germany in 1989.

This third commitment carries substance. It means that on the issue of the reunification of South Korea and North Korea, if and when it takes place in the future, Beijing will side with socialist North Korea. It also means that getting rid of the Pyongyang regime of today is not going to be easy or foreseeable in the immediate future.

The commentary in the Oriental Daily News cautions Pyongyang to be particularly on guard against what it calls "sugar cannonballs" being launched by Washington or Seoul when dealing with peace issues, and offers the "painful lessons" of the erstwhile Soviet Union and the European Socialist camp, as examples.

The commentary unhesitatingly advises Kim Jong-un to continue to "seriously learn and consult" with China, while it tells Beijing to understand Kim Jong-un's concerns fully and dispel his worries.

"Only in this way can Pyongyang "put aside burdens and move forward with lightness. Then it can deal with the U.S., Japan, and South Korea to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and secure a peaceful environment for a long time to come," the commentary concludes.