North Korea Draws New China Scrutiny

BEIJING — The Chinese government’s approach to North Korea appears to be the subject of heightened debate ignited by the North’s plans to proceed with a nuclear test, Chinese and American experts say.

A blunt article in Global Times, an influential newspaper that sometimes reflects Chinese government thinking, said that North Korea must “pay a heavy price” if it proceeds with the test, which would be its third. Zhang Liangui, a specialist in North Korean affairs who advises the Communist Party Central Committee, wrote that North Korea was not afraid of China’s threats on aid and wanted to force a “showdown” on the nuclear issue.

North Korea is secretive about the date for the test that it has broadly advertised. Given its propensity for significant calendar days, experts say possibilities include Tuesday, the day of President Obama’s State of the Union address, or Saturday to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of Kim Jong-il, the father of the current leader, Kim Jong-un.

The test poses a major foreign policy challenge to Xi Jinping, the new head of the Communist Party, who has said he wants the United States and China to develop a “new type of relationship between two great powers.”

Mr. Xi, who appeared to be taking a direct interest in the strident feud between China and Japan over islands in the East China Sea, has not defined his “two great powers” concept, which he alluded to during his visit to the United States last year. That was a good-will tour before he ascended to party head in November. He will assume the presidency of the country next month.

Analysts say that they are watching how Mr. Xi handles North Korea’s relatively new young leader to see whether he changes the approach of his predecessor Hu Jintao, who kept North Korea afloat with fuel, food and private investment while also tolerating its development of nuclear weapons.

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