[War] "Beijing Conference" Finale

[Chazenesq2b at aol.com]

(You all know the header by now)
=================================
 
Xia nodded.  She honestly hadn't expected much of a warm reception for  it, 
especially  not from  Russia, and  the   fact they  were willing to support and 
interact with any  potential   agency  was something well  beyond  what   she 
expected.   It  was a sign of  possible  success,  all   things   considered. 
  "I   can
certainly  respect your  decision  Mister  President,  and we   would  
welcome  Russia as a trading   partner."

"As  does Japan,"  Sato  said  nodding to  the Russian   President   before 
turning to  President  Hong.   "Japan   would be  interested in pursuing  this  
closer  relationship    between  the Asian nations as  a full member  of  
that alliance.  That  said,   how do we   proceed? We  are not all of an accord 
about    this
alliance,    so  I think perhaps settling the details of  this    agreement 
should wait  until later, but for the  present,   shall  we discuss North  
Korea, even if the  others have  not   arrived?"

"That seems to  be a  wise   course  of  action,"  agreed Nemerenko. With  
Russia's   position clear,  only  China  and   Japan could negotiate  about the  
 proposed    organization.

"Then let us  proceed."  Xia  nodded  her   concurrence,  folding her  hands 
on the table.   "As  I've  iterated  to  President  Nemerenko and  his  
delegation previously,  China  believes that   above  all else the  sovereignty  and 
integrity of     the Democratic People's    Republic of North Korea must rest 
in  the  hands  of
the North  Koreans.  On  this point  I'm sure we  can  all   agree?"

"Agreed," said  Nemerenko with a  nod.   "But care must  be  taken in  the 
construction of a new North   Korean  national   government.  History has shown 
us, and I  can  say from  personal   experience, that   the
reconstruction of   governments from dictatorships   often   creates 
corruption  and  malpractice. And  as the  DPRK  was one of   the   most repressive 
and totalitarian  regimes since   Hitler, Stalin or   Mao,  the
everyday  people of North  Korea are not  prepared to   create   a 
functioning  government on their own. More  mature nations   must  lend  them  their 
experience and advice in how  to   weather  this  transition."

"Agreed,"  Sato said. "Though    we  must fall short of  dictating a 
government upon them   as   well. My  suggestion is that an  advisory council   be 
formed made up of   Chinese, Russians, Japanese  and   if  they show up, Koreans 
to oversee the  transition  and offer  advice  to  the provisional  
government. And  I would  like  to  further suggest, we do  our best  to   convince the  
provisional government,  that the best way   to   promote  democracy, is to 
start from the village or   ward  level and    expand upwards, after all the 
key  to
democracy is a society    accustomed  to  participation  in it's process. So, 
let  them choose who   speaks   for  their village, or city ward,  then 
expand that  to   their province, and   then finally their  country.  At least  
that is  what I think,"  Sato said  and   then  smiled.  "Though I realize  
belatedly, that I am  contradicting   myself  by  suggesting this as  it  comes 
very near dictating how their  government should  be   formed."

All this talk about what 'they'  should do in  North   Korea  made Xia cringe 
internally.  Chinese  troops  bled  to  take the  North, and were sweating to 
keep  the North  safe   enough that major  humanitarian disasters  could be 
avoided.  Though  the  Russians had  a definite  stake in  terms of their own   
aid workers, Japan
itself  didn't have  much claim, and she  feared   American   influence 
oozing in via Japan.  "We  must allow the   North   Korean government  to  develop 
naturally. The  American   invasion of  Iraq is proof  positive that   simply 
forcing any kind of government  on a  people, even democracy,  is  doomed  to  
failure.  We have a
current basic   framework in place  as it stands, if the   North Korean 
people  decide to change that  framework, they must be   allowed   to.   Likewise, 
I find it difficult to  justify  any  decision being made at    this table  
about another nation's  government.  I think it would  be   more    beneficial 
to limit the focus  of
our discussions to     providing increased aid and   humanitarian efforts,  
which will  help  the  North Koreans  gain security and thus    encourage them 
to develop."

*This*  was what Sato had expected out  of  this  conversation.  Being  told 
by
China that this  was their  project and the  rest of the  world  was not  to
interefere. It was  nice to see his   predictions were not  entirely  wrong
about the  Chinese  government's   position. He nodded. "You are correct,    
those
things are  very  important, but I think the first step   towards   
cooperation
President Hong is trust, and while person  to  person I  trust you;  my  
government
will not be so  forgiving,"  he  said. "If you gave us  something,  a sign of 
trust on
your  part,  like allowing us to form  the advisory  council,  or  if you
prefer something less formal allowing  a  Japanese  delegation to be   sent to
Pyongyang, to observe  and  communicate  with the new government.  This
would calm  any  suspicions in those who  see North Korea as a  future   
Chinese
puppet state and would be of  assistance to China in    that the western 
world,
specifically America, would  likely be   more  willing to trust reports on
the North Korean's progress  if   they were  written by a neutral party, like
Japan. Which  in turn  will   accomplish your latter goal of improved aid.  
Because
while I  understand  China  feels a certain ownership  of this project, after
all whose sons  are at risk  to keep the  peace even as we  speak? The rest
of the world  will be hesitant  to  believe reports  from Chinese or North
Korean sources, which  will in turn   lessen if not completely remove the   
chance
they will contribute  aid, which  will reduce North  Korea's  security, and 
in the
end  cost more Chinese lives.   All Japan asks, is  that we be allowed to be
on hand to observe the  process as  it  progresses in North  Korea and be on
hand to  offer any advice and   experience we might  have to share to  the
provisional government, if and  when  they   ask."

"With all due respect Mister Prime Minister, so  long  as   American troops
are on Japanese soil I hardly consider   Japan   'objective'."  She may have 
been
Chinese, but the  smirk on  her  face was  the distinct hallmark of   American
style sarcasm.   "But at the same  time I see  no  reason we can't reach  an
agreement.  Russian  workers  and  observers are in North Korea  already, and 
  for  the
benefit of  the North Koreans I'm  certainly willing  to  offer the same  
protection
and security  agreements to  Japanese  observers.  I'm sure you'll   
understand
if I  must insist on each Japanese observer being provided  a    Chinese  
security
team... the last thing I would want is  to  be  blamed  for allowing foreign 
citizens
to die because I   failed to  offer adequate  protection.  In  addition any 
and  all
aid  stations set up by  Japan or Japanese agencies  would  be   similarly
protected, you have my    word."

Nemerenko looked at Sato  out of the corner of his eye.  Hong  had,  in
the opinion of the Russian  president, gravely  insulted  the Japanese  PM
by implying Japan was a  puppet  state of the  United States. Now  while
that was Sato's  problem  and not his, the  greater allusion was. He  set
down  his tea and turned  to regard  Hong clearly.

"Madam  President,  just how much of all this  is  about the United  States
of America?"

Sato  nodded waiting  to  here  Hong's reply before he made any comment.

"Thirty-thousand   American  combat troops are stationed in South Korea.
The American  Pacific  fleet maintains facilities in Japan, which is also   
home
to thousands more  American troops, and Russia herself hosted  a  joint 
military
exercise with the  Americans who maintain a  hostile  stand-off policy with
China militarily,  just after your  government  tenaciously sought to 
negotiate a
Non-Aggression  pact  with  China."  If she was going to get cornered,  she 
intended
on laying it all out on the table.  "Furthermore,  the   Americans  have made 
it
obvious they prefer a single  unified  Korea,  which would move their  troops 
even
'closer'  to  Chinese  territory.  As a matter of fact, if I'm not  mistaken,
you just  recently returned from a trip to the United  States,  so tell   me, 
Mister
President, how much of this  'is'  about   America?"

Inwardly Nemernko smiled about the  joint  US-Russian wargames  exercise.
If it had gotten the Chinese  rattled then  they'd be less inclined  to
accelerate the plans many  in the Ministry of  Defence suspected  China
had of invading  Siberia.

"You're being  far too paranoid,"  commented  Nemerenko. "First, no
American military  forces in our joint   wargames came within a thousand
kilometers of the  Sino-Russo border.  Siberia  is a very big place,
after all. I see it as  no different  from when WE staged  wargames
exercises together in the  early  2000s. Second, yes I did meet  with
President Williams recently.   Russia wishes to pursue  peaceful
relations with America after over  half  a century of hostility.  In
fact, I believe MOST world  leaders at some  point meet or speak with
the  President of the  United States, including  many of your
predecessors. If that  now  makes people suspect in the view  of China,
well, you have just  become  very alone in this world Madam  President.
You have my  sympathies." He sipped  picked up his tea and  sipped it
casually,  for effect.

"Of course there  are American  military forces in  South Korea and
Japan. Fitting that they only  become  such a major  concern now.
Remember that it is those same military   forces that  since the Korean
War kept the free people of South Korea  and   Japan safe from the
tyranny and aggression of North Korea while  China,  and I  must admit
Russia also, did little. If anything we both   helped keep  that
despicable regime alive for as long as it was. You  are  a  former
military officer; you know that it will take time  for them  to  move
those forces out. If they ever do, which I  doubt. There  are  thirty
thousand American troops on the Korean  peninsula? There  are  HUNDREDS
of thousands of Chinese troops  there as well! If you were  South  Korea,
wouldn't you want some  insurance against the the might of  the  PLA
staring you down the  face?

"I know you regard America as  a rival.  I know that they  have also in
the past demonstrated  imperialistic tendencies.  So  has the PRC. Don't
get me wrong, I would  be wary of the USA if I was  in  your position.
But you are now accusing  us all of being  puppets based upon  our very
reasonable, and in the case  of Japan  and South Korea, very  necessary
relations with them, and are   using this as an excuse to stonewall  all
foreign observation and   oversight of your occupation of a   sovereign
nation."

Nemerenko  caught himself. He had to remember  that  in the end he didn't
give two  shits about who rules North  Korea, and not let  his personal
fear of  Hong and China cloud his  judgment.

"Make no  mistake I do not  contest the necessity of  your invasion," he
added. "It was  either China  moves in or North  Korea disintegrating
into a bloody civil war  that  destabilized  the Far East. The question
is about how legitimate your   future  plans for North Korea are." He
turned to Sato. It was about time   Japan  started saying a bit. "What do
you think, Prime   Minister?"

Outwardly  nothing of Xia's facade changed.    Inwardly however, she wished
she could  deck Nemerenko something   rough.  "Several hundred thousand  
Chinese
troops were not there  a  year ago.  Nor were they in Korea two  years ago,
or five,  or  ten.  The United States has spent five decades in  the   Korean
peninsula, despite the fact that the South had maintained a   force  ratio
highly in their favor alone.  If it's Chinese  troops  that are  feared, allow
me to allay your concerns.  My  government  will gladly sign  peace and
non-aggression treaties  with the governments  of South Korea and  Japan,
provided realistic  timetables for the  withdrawal of American forces  from
these  countries is provided."   Clearly Prime Minister Sato had  become  the
focus of the  conversation.  "You had asked for  reassurances,  Prime
Minister.  I offer them, the question now is  if you believe your  nation  
can accept."

"Actually Madam  President," Sato chuckled. "The  question is  if I want to
follow  my predecessor into a forced  retirement. You can't   seriously
believe that Korea or Japan in the  current political climate  can  afford to 
discuss
the withdrawal of US  troops from our  country?  Our people  are afraid of
yours, and it will  take  more than a piece of paper with all our  signatures
on it to  assure  them they or their children won't wake up one day  and  find
themselves a  Chinese province."

He let that sink in as  he  sipped his  tea.

"That said President Hong, we all know  that is not a  realistic  scenario,
but it *is* what people think  when they think about China  in  Japan. It's
unfortunate, just as  it is unfortunate that your hardliners   see the
Japanese as the  imperialistic invaders of the past century, or as  you  
alluded  to
earlier, puppets of the United States. In the end though  it  falls  to us
you and I, to show our people that things change,  that  we are not  enemies 
but
potential allies. Unfortunately  pushing for the  United States to  withdraw
it's forces from the  region is not how it  will be done. The US  presence is
tolerated  by the Korean and Japanese  peoples as a symptom of  their fear  of
you, if you can work with me and  if we can avoid wasting this   opportunity
at a history making summit  exchanging insults like  school  children we can
make a difference you  and I and someday,  hopefully in the  near future, the 
US
will be gone  from the  region, and Asia will be run by  Asians. As it stands
though,  our  fear of you drives my country closer to the  US and your fear
of  the  US drives you further from us. So, say what you will  President  
Hong,
we are both you and I puppets dancing on the same strings  pulled  by the  
same
masters. So, how do we begin to cut the strings. We do  so  by  working
closer together and this situation in North Korea  provides  that  
opportunity.

So this is what I offer. First, I  will accept  your terms for  our observers,
however I ask that it  be a joint Japanese  and Chinese security  detail for
the sake of  cooperation. Second, I am  willing to offer Japanese  assistance
in  upgrading the North Korean  infrastructure specifically in the  areas  of
transport and power, third  I offer money, equipment and expertise  to  the
ongoing effort both  Russia and China are making to find  cures and  contain
the illnesses  discovered in North Korea.  Lastly, I propose regular  summits
to  continue this dialogue and  continue the peaceful association of  our
two countries, in preparation  for the creation of the much larger   Asian
alliance, after all if  you and I can't get along President Hong,  what  hope
is there for  the countries that *really* hate each other?" he  asked with   a
smile, knowing full well that few countries, even in Asia,  where  the
hatred could run as deep as it did between Japan and China.  Well  except  
perhaps
Japan and Korea.

"I must concur that it is   unreasonable for  you to expect South Korea,
and certainly not Japan,  to  have American forces  leave their territory
in the near  future,"  observed Nemerenko. "I also  question your
sincerity in  regards to your  offer of a non-aggression pact for  both
South  Korea and Japan. When my  government offered a similar   proposal,
under much more cordial  circumstances, you flatly refused  and  cited
vague reasons for it  somehow making the UN irrelevant,  even though  the
UN actively  encourages such treaties as it did  during the Cold  War.
Now you  yourself make the same type of  offer. You say one thing,  then
do  another. You are bargaining in  bad faith."

"It's impossible to bargain  with a fool."  Xia,  who plainly reached  her
limit with the Russian  President spoke  equally succinctly.  "It was you
who pulled away  from a bi-lateral  agreement regarding military corporation
over  some paranoid fear of  China's lust to spend the lives of it's people 
invading  a
vast frozen  wasteland when we can buy the resources for far cheaper then
any ultimately  unwinnable war would cost.  You who would offer  an
agreement  and  then revoke it 'dare' to lecture me about  'bargaining in  
bad  faith'?  Right
after Prime Minister Sato  correctly  pointed out discussions  must remain 
cordial
none the  less?   The fact of the matter is Mister  President, if anyone came 
to
this  table in bad faith, it was you."  That  being said, she  turned  her
attention back to her Japanese compatriot.  "My    apologies, Mister Prime 
Minister.
China certainly accepts all    conditions you've placed upon Japanese 
participation in North Korea, and  on  a  personal note I would very much be 
interested in keeping open  a  permanent line  of communication between our two 
nations.  May  I suggest a bi-lateral  Cooperation Council be established to  
monitor  the
mutual concerns and interests  of Japan and China, and  provide  advice on 
how we
can work together more    affirmatively?"

Hong's outburst did not seem to phase the Russian  leader,  coming from
a nation where hot-blooded debate had led to  multiple brawls on  the
floor of the national parliament. If anything he  had a hard time  not
letting his neutral poker face slide into a look of  utter  amusement.
Instead he looked over at Sato to see how he responded  to  Hong's
offer.

Sato had blinked when Hong had began her  outburst, Sato  was not one to shy
away from conflict, but still  something deeply cultural  still left him
feeling uncomfortable  afterwards. However Sato was not one to  let that sway
him away from  making a good deal.

He took a moment to  sip his tea gather his  composure and then replied with
a smile as though the  outburst at  President Nemerenko had not happened 
before
the offer.

"A  good  idea," he said. "It would give both our peoples a chance to work
more   closely together and see that the enemy they saw one another as, was
a  product of history and not reality," he sat back in his chair and looked
from  the neutral face of Nemerenko to the still slightly flushed President
Hong.  "So then what's next?"

"I believe we should move forward with attempting  to enact what we've
established in terms of understanding here."  Xia  offered in a calculatedly
cool manner, the exact opposite of what she  appeared to be only a moment  
ago.
"And perhaps we can agree to a  location and time for our next  meeting?"  It 
was
an open question,  even to Nemerenko.  Just because  she wanted to run the guy
over  personally didn't mean she wanted to stop working  with Russia.

Sato  nodded. "Tokyo is nice in the late spring. Would there be any
objections to  meeting there?"

This too was an open question. Nemerenko was not excluded  from the
invitation.

"As to enacting what we have discussed here," he  beckoned Akemi up and took
the folders she offered and handed them to both  Hong and Nemerenko. "Japan
is offering a special grant of 10 million USD to  aid in the research of the
diseases discovered in North Korea, and through  our funding of the
institution, we have also recruited the help of Osaka  University, one of
Japan's premier medical schools to lend us lab space and  specialists. In
fact, I understand many of them jumped at the chance to get  involved. As for
the infrastructure project our numbers in this area are soft  as we didn't
have an assesment on the exact amount of work that needs to be  done, though
our interest is in making sure the whole country can have and  keep electric
power provided if possible by non-nuclear sources, and to  convert the
country's rail system to one that is compatible with the gauges  used by the
rest of Asia."

"That seems like a logical step," observed  Nemerenko. He still
appeared rather amused, as if somehow he had won  something. "Although
creating a stable law and order environment must take  priority before
we begin planning too far ahead."

"Yes though,  President Hong I think made it clear that was going to be
primarily a Chinese  concern. After all it is her people on the ground doing
the  work."

"And let us let them do that before we get ahead of ourselves,"  said
the Russian President. "We have set out to do much here. Let us  allow
the PLA to conduct its operations and discuss further involvement  and
aid at Tokyo."
========================================================
 
ACTIONS
 
1.  Japan to offer assistance to North Korea.  Japanese observers  to be 
allowed into the country, escorted by Chinese and Japanese security  details.  
Japanese medical assistance will be used to contain/cure  outbreaks in North 
Korea, and engineering expertise to be used to collaborate on  rebuilding North 
Korea's infrastructure.
 
2.  China and Japan to begin taking trust building measures towards  the 
ultimate goal of establishing a more tightly networked Asia, starting with  trade 
agreements.  A mutual cooperation council to be set up to monitor  mutual 
interests and provide regular reports and suggestions to both  governments.  
 
3.  Agreement for a next series of conferences to be made, setting  will be 
Tokyo.
 
4.  Russia and China to strengthen military collaboration.   (Despite their 
leaders' mutual hatred for each other)  Russia, China, and  Japan to agree to 
tighter economic ties.
 
5.  North Korea to be allowed to develop on it's  own.



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