Professor Tsang writes in South China Morning Post on need for US to seize the initiative and engage with Pyongyang

23/12/2011 

The US must seize the initiative to secure stability on the Korean peninsula following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, argued Professor Steve Tsang, CPI director, on 23rd December, in the South China Morning Post.

"Once North Korea has agreed on immediate arrangements for the formal succession, it has two clearcut options in deciding the country’s future direction. Status quo of a kind must be the default option. However, it is unlikely to be sustainable unless Kim Jong-un can secure the loyalty of powerful men several decades older in a culture that still reveres age, seniority and experience. The obvious alternative is for North Korea to follow China’s path and introduce reforms to rejuvenate the economy without placing the party’s monopoly of power at risk. The US must ensure that the North Korean leadership is aware of a third option: to trade its nuclear weapons programme for Americanled support for the adoption of a modified Chinese model," Professor Steve wrote.

Full article can be accessed Here from China Policy Institute Blog.

                                                                   ~ENDS~