Canceled concerts display uncertainty of China's diplomacy with N. Korea

BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- China's diplomacy with its key ally North Korea displayed uncertainty after the sudden cancellation of the concerts in Beijing by an all-female band formed by the North's leader Kim Jong-un, multiple diplomatic sources and analysts said. Organized by the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, North Korea's Moranbong Band had been scheduled to perform for three days in a row starting Saturday in Beijing, in what was seen as a fresh sign that ties between the allies were getting warmer after years of strain over the North's nuclear ambitions. However, the North Korean band abruptly returned home hours before the first concert began because of unspecified communication issues. The abrupt cancellation of the concerts was the latest example of North Korea's unpredictability and the difficulty that China faces in building a normal, state-to-state relationship with the traditional ally. Even the day before the concert was canceled, China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told reporters that Beijing hopes to deepen mutual understanding and friendship with Pyongyang throughout the North Korean band's performances. Hours before members of the North Korean band left a hotel in Beijing at noon on Saturday, senior Chinese Communist Party officials were at the hotel with North Korea's ambassador to China, Ji Jae-ryong, in an apparent move that persuaded the band to perform as scheduled. "Throughout the Moranbong Band's stay in Beijing, the Chinese Communist Party's leadership appeared to showcase its willingness to build a normal relationship with North Korea," a diplomatic source said on the condition of anonymity. Although it remains to be seen whether the cancellation of the concerts will further cool relations between North Korea and China, the cancellation "undermines the Chinese willingness and demonstrates the difficulty of dealing with North Korea," the source said. Why North Korea canceled the concert also remains unclear. Another source in Beijing said China had decided to send officials of lower rank to the concert in response to the North Korean leader hinting earlier last week that Pyongyang had developed a hydrogen bomb. China had been originally scheduled to send one of its 25 highest-ranking leaders in the Chinese Communist Party to the Saturday concert but decided to send vice minister-level officials after Kim's hint of developing a hydrogen bomb. The decision might have been related to the sudden cancellation of the concert, said the second source, who got the information from a Chinese government official with knowledge of the situation. Cheong Seong-chang, a senior analyst at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, said, "The cancellation may not pose an immediate and big impact on relations between North Korea and China, but it will deepen mistrust from the Chinese leadership over North Korea's behaviors." Over the past week, both North Korean and Chinese state media had reported that ties between the allies were on the mend throughout the band's concert in Beijing, after years of strain following the North's third nuclear test in early 2013. Since Liu Yunshan, the Chinese Communist Party's fifth-ranked official, visited Pyongyang in October and held talks with North Korean leader Kim, there have been signs of improvement in bilateral ties. (END)