Chinese President Jiang Zemin, having had several phone conversations with his French counterpart, called for a peaceful resolution of the Iraq crisis in an attempt to add another hurdle to US diplomatic efforts at the U.N. Security Council. Jiang claimed, “Warfare is good for no one.”

Privately, China is happy that France, Germany, and Russia are taking the lead in voicing opposition to the use of force by the U.S. against Iraq, because China is afraid of offending the U.S. due to its need for US trade. On the other hand, with the outbreak of war against Iraq going on, China is concerned that the U.S. might become too powerful with its military success in Iraq. China is behind the nuclear programs in North Korea, sources say. Jiang is concerned that the U.S. might turn its attention to North Korea and China after a successful military action in the Middle East.

The U.S. is visibly unhappy with China’s opposing position toward US military action against Iraq. Further, Washington is irritated with little effort from China to persuade North Korea to drop its nukes programs. It remains to be seen whether China will change its position after the U.S.'s ongoing war with Iraq comes to a successful end in the near future.