Too secret diplomacy

(Photo: AP )

“Where our Kim Jong Il is going is a big, big secret!” This is how you can paraphrase the words of a famous song: North Korean leader Kim Jong Il prefers to make his visits in an atmosphere of deep secrecy. Last week he made a five-day trip to neighboring China, but there was no official meeting: the train carrying Kim crossed the state border at night with the lights extinguished and the curtains drawn tightly.

Similarly, Kim Jong Il already visited China in May last year. Then Pyongyang officially acknowledged the visit only when Kim returned home. The reason for such secrecy is the ideology of North Korea, according to which the “capitalists” only dream of how to deal with their “beloved leader” Kim Jong Il.

The paradox is that the purpose of Kim Jong Il’s current visit was to discuss with Beijing leaders the possibilities of “capitalizing” North Korea itself. Chairman Kim visited China's successful free economic zone Shenzhen and, according to unofficial information, "carefully studied" the experience of developing entrepreneurship in a planned economy. Kim then arrived in Shanghai, where he met with Chairman of the State Council of the People's Republic of China Jiang Zemin. The two leaders discussed the possibility of implementing Chinese-style reforms in North Korea. Kim's interest in the Chinese experience is understandable: Beijing managed to begin its restructuring while keeping the Communist Party in power. Now, obviously, Pyongyang intends to do the same.