Young China Watchers London – YCW London: Turning point in China-North Korea Relations? – 22/5/17
Posted: May 18th, 2017 | No Comments »I don’t always note North Korea-related events I’m involved with on this blog – but this should be an interesting one given the times!
YCW London: Turning point in China-North Korea Relations? (22nd May, Monday, 7.00Â pm, at RUSI)
with Andrea Berger, Senior Research Associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, and Paul French, author of “North Korea: State of Paranoia”
RSVP here
Monday, May 22, 2017, 7:00 pm
RUSI, 61 Whitehall, London SW1A 2ET
In China, ties with North Korea have traditionally been referred to as “close as lips and teeth.†But with North Korea recently dropping the word “friendly” in describing China as “neighbour”, tension between the two allies is building.
Beijing has grown increasingly frustrated at North Korea’s actions, which in recent months includes pushing ahead with a nuclear programme, stating it is “ready” to sink a US aircraft Carrier, staging a grandiose military parade in commemoration of founding father Kim Il-sung, and assassinating Kim Jong Un’s brother Kim Jong Nam. Reflecting its growing discomfort, in 2016, China agreed to sanction North Korea in the UN Security Council and also rejected its coal exports. More recently, though, China has invited North Korea to its Silk Road Summit.
For its part, South Korea could advocate a softer stance toward Pyongyang and Beijing under new President, Moon Jae In, who may also reevaluate the US THAAD missile shield program.
US President Donald Trump’s military response in Syria adds to the complexity, though as he learned fom a 10-minute crash course by Chinese President Xi Jinping, “It’s not so easy.”
What are the driving factors in the China-North Korea relationship and what is its future?
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