Thursday, July 06, 2006

China Key in treatment of North Korean refugees

Addressing China’s treatment of North Korean refugees is an important first step towards an international solution, according to Tim Peters of Helping Hands Korea.

"Everyone wants a piece of China’s booming economy – but the refugee issue pits politics and lucrative trade agreements against human rights issues, and the pocketbook usually wins."

“We need to link trade with human rights issues,” Peters insisted. “International trading partners need to take a real hard look at their own policies towards China.”

“I personally feel we’re within a year or two of some type of seismic shift in North Korea,” Peters added. “But we should be aware that China is not sitting idly by. They’re moving in – building infrastructure, buying access to North Korean ports for shipping, propping up the North Korean economy for their own purposes.

“These signs are extremely troubling.”

[Excerpt of article in Compass Direct]

No comments: