As with all important occasions, it does not matter so much who was there, but who was missing. On December 28, among thousands of North Korean mourners parading past the body of the deceased Dear Leader Kim Jong-il to bid a final farewell, what stood out was the absence of top dignitaries from neighboring countries and those concerned about the future of Pyongyang.
Significantly, in the same hours, on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in Beijing, China and Japan, North Korea's two most important neighbors, signed an important monetary agreement.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao along with Chinese President Hu Jintao put aside their bitter disputes over the maritime border of the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands and the surrounding gas fields, and they launched a major monetary framework agreement.
(Asia Times)
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