‘Worse than you think,’ said Ham immediately. ‘You already know how completely dependent we are on China. Our economy is a failure. Our only successful industry is making and exporting armaments. We have a woefully inefficient agricultural sector that produces only seventy per cent of our food needs. We lurch from crisis to crisis.’
‘So what’s new?’
‘The Americans have tightened up sanctions.’
This was news to Kai. ‘How?’
‘Just by enforcing existing rules. A shipment of North Korean coal destined for Vietnam was seized in Manila. Payment for twelve Mercedes limousines was refused by a German bank because of suspicion that they were destined for Pyongyang, even though the paperwork said Taiwan. A Russian ship was intercepted transferring gasoline to a North Korean ship at sea just off Vladivostok.’
‘Small things in themselves, but they get everybody scared of doing business,’ Kai commented.
‘Exactly. But what your government may not realize is that we have only six weeks’ supply of food and other essentials. That’s how close we are to famine.’
‘Six weeks!’ Kai was shocked.
‘They’re not admitting that to anyone, but Pyongyang is about to approach Beijing for emergency economic aid.’
This was useful. Kai could forewarn Wu Bai. ‘How much will they ask for?’
‘They don’t even want money. They need rice, pork, gasoline, iron and steel.’
China would probably give them what they wanted, Kai thought; it always had, in the past. ‘What’s the reaction of the Party hierarchy to yet another failure?’
‘There are rumblings of discontent – there always are – but such murmurs will come to nothing as long as China props up the regime.’
‘Incompetence can be dreadfully stable.’
Ham gave a short bark of laughter. ‘Too fucking true.’
*
Kai had several American contacts, but the best was Neil Davidson, a CIA man at the American embassy in Beijing. They met for breakfast at the Rising Sun, in Chaoyang Park Road near the US embassy, convenient for Neil. Kai did not use his driver, Monk, because government cars looked official, and his meetings with Neil needed to be discreet, so he took a cab.
Kai got on well with Neil, even though they were enemies. They acted as if peace was possible even between such rivals as China and the US, given a little mutual understanding. It might even be true.
Kai often learned something Neil had not intended to reveal. Neil did not always tell him the truth, but his evasions sometimes yielded clues.
The Rising Sun was a mid-price restaurant patronized by the Chinese and foreign workers in the central commercial district. It made no effort to attract tourists, and the waiters did not speak English. Kai ordered tea and Neil arrived a few minutes later.
Neil was a Texan, but not much like a cowboy, except for his accent, which even Kai could detect. He was short and bald. He had been to the gym that morning – he was trying to lose weight, he explained – and he had not yet changed out of his worn trainers and black Nike warm-up jacket. And my wife goes to work in blue jeans and cowboy boots, Kai thought. Funny world.
Neil spoke fluent Mandarin with atrocious pronunciation. He ordered congee, the rice porridge, with a soft-boiled egg. Kai asked for soy-sauce noodles with tea eggs.
Kai said: ‘You won’t lose much weight eating congee. Chinese food has a lot of calories.’
‘Not as much as American,’ said Neil. ‘Even our bacon contains sugar. Anyway, what’s on your mind?’
That was direct. No Chinese person would be so blunt. But Kai had grown to like the way Americans got straight to the point. He replied equally plainly: ‘North Korea.’
‘Okay,’ Neil replied non-committally.
‘You’re imposing sanctions.’
‘Sanctions were imposed a long time ago, by the United Nations.’
‘But now the US and its close friends are seriously enforcing them, intercepting ships and interdicting cargoes and obstructing international payments that violate the sanctions.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Neil, stop dicking me around. Just tell me why.’
‘Weapons in Africa.’
Faking mild indignation, Kai said: ‘You’re talking about Corporal Peter Ackerman. The killer was a terrorist!’
‘It’s a pity he used a Chinese gun.’
‘You don’t normally blame the crime on the manufacturer of the weapon.’ Kai smiled as he added: ‘If you did, you would have shut down Smith and Wesson years ago.’