A meeting between Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping is expected within days, senior diplomatic sources have confirmed. The news arrives amid fresh missile launches from Pyongyang that have rattled the global security establishment. The Foreign Office has issued a carefully worded statement urging ‘restraint and de-escalation’ while refusing to publicly criticise Beijing’s role as a guarantor of stability.
For the woman in Manchester or the man in Middlesbrough, these distant provocations might seem a world away. But the cost of a renewed arms race falls on the kitchen table. Military spending always finds its way into the household budget. Defence contracts buoy the economy in some regions, yes. But the billions spent on long-range missiles could fund countless Sure Start centres or repair potholed roads in the forgotten towns of the North.
The Prime Minister’s spokesperson this morning deflected questions about potential sanctions against North Korea, instead praising China’s ‘constructive engagement’. Critics say this is weak-kneed diplomacy. The reality is more complex: the UK relies on Chinese trade to keep inflation at bay and shelves stocked. A confrontation with Beijing over its nuclear-armed ally would come at a price.
Labour’s shadow foreign secretary called for a ‘full emergency session’ of the UN Security Council. But the union movement, still reeling from the cost-of-living crisis, worries about the human cost of sabre-rattling. ‘Our members want peace, not posturing,’ said a Unite organiser from the North West. ‘We remember Iraq. We remember the empty promises that followed those warnings.’
The North Korean regime’s repeated tests are a cynical play for leverage. But the Whitehall response must balance principle with pragmatism. A fresh Cold War would hit the poorest hardest: energy prices, already crippling, would spike again. The price of a loaf of bread, or a pint of milk, would rise.
In the shadow of the Cheonan incident and the sinking of the ROKS Cheonan, the world holds its breath. The upcoming summit between the Supreme Leader and President Xi could signal a path to dialogue or a further tightening of the screw. For the UK, the task is to stand firm while avoiding a rush to confrontation that leaves ordinary families paying the price.
