Ordinary Chinese angry

Ordinary Chinese angry over N. Korean claim of nuke test

By claiming to test a nuclear device, North Korea has set off a wave of anger among ordinary Chinese, who appear split about whether blame lies with North Korea or the United States.

In the streets and online, Chinese responded to last week's announcement out of Pyongyang with fear.

Many said a nuclear-armed North Korea meant less security for China and East Asia. They called into question China's historic role as North Korea's ally and patron. Others suggested North Korea is right to arm itself in response to U.S. and Japanese threats against it...

For Korean War veteran Zhang Zeshi, North Korea's claim was a bitter betrayal by an "evil" regime. "We have given them so much food, fuel and support, but they don't listen to us," he said.

Zhang, 77, was among more than a million Chinese soldiers sent by Mao Zedong to fight with North Korea in the 1950-53 Korean War. He spent two years in a South Korean POW camp. He was imprisoned again when he returned home, disgraced along with other former POWs for failing to die in battle against American "aggressors."

"We spilled our blood in vain," Zhang said. "It kept alive (North Korea's) feudal dictatorship."..

In China's swelling cyberspace, North Korea has provoked debate. On the forum at beelinkclub.com, based in eastern Shandong province, moderator Xiaocao Qiqiang called the United States and Japan warmongers. He argued that a nuclear North Korea would guarantee peace by forcing the United States and Japan to ease up.

There was no way to verify the identity of the bloggers on beelinkclub.com or other sites where North Korea dominated conversation. But such sentiment was consistent with other postings and online discussions in Chinese chat rooms monitored by Yawei Liu, a China specialist at Georgia Perimeter College.

Liu said much of the debate is colored by a "strong anti-American sentiment among many of the most informed Chinese citizens." Liu said many of those commenting "are sympathetic to North Koreans and see a vast U.S. conspiracy to undermine China."...

The outpouring of anger — against both North Korea and the United States — is no accident, said Shen Dingli, a foreign policy specialist at Shanghai's Fudan University. The Chinese government "has the ability to censor opinion, but it has intentionally allowed public debate to let the both the U.S. and North Korea know we are unhappy," Shen said. "When the criticism is against Chinese foreign policy, the freedom will be less."

A majority of Chinese believe "we should abandon" North Korea, though their view is unlikely to sway decision-makers in Beijing, Shen said. North Korea "may no longer be our friend," he said. But its strategic value to China as a counterweight to U.S. and Japanese interests means "we must never build it into our enemy."