Power play

Yet, while Foreign Secretary William Hague and his opposite number Yvette Cooper, the Pontefract and Castleford MP, were at one, the harsh reality is that their words will count for nothing in Pyongyang, the capital of the highly secretive Communist state.

Its motives, following the torpedoing of a South Korean naval vessel earlier this year, are unclear, although they are probably a show of bravado allied to the transition of power from North Korea's dictator, the ailing Kim Jong-il, to his youngest son.

The one country that might have a clearer understanding is China – the rogue state's only ally in South East Asia. While the rest of the world has shunned North Korea, it has retained diplomatic ties and it is time that Beijing's leaders brought their considerable influence to bear in a positive capacity.

The last thing that China, an emerging superpower, should want is a dictatorship on its doorsteps with a nuclear capability; the potential consequences are too disastrous to even contemplate. Yet the West's sanctions will continue to be counter-productive unless China recognises that its increased influence on the world stage, particularly from a trade perspective, brings with it certain diplomatic obligations.

For this reason, any potential solution will have to be driven by Beijing rather than Westminster or Washington – especially as North Korea continues to ignore UN edicts as it attempts to develop its nuclear capability.