After initially expressing "concern" over North Korea's July 4thmissile launches, China's unwillingness to work towards serioussanctions on North Korea provides further proof that Beijing haslittle interest in restraining Pyongyang. What are we to make ofthe disconnect between Chinese rhetoric and action? In many ways,it reflects a disconnect between the Chinese People's LiberationArmy (PLA)-which almost certainly does not share any real concernsabout North Korea's missile provocations-and Chinese diplomats, whohave largely been kept out of the loop.
In his 2006 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush said, "[W]e have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world."[1] Increasing political instability in the Middle East and growing U.S., Indian, and Chinese demand for oil have made energy security a paramount concern.