By Jin Kai
China may not need to “abandon” North Korea, just as China never truly “had” North Korea.
The China-North Korea relationship has always been somewhat hazy, a difficult thing for many people to describe. Particularly after the emergence of the North Korea nuclear issue, as the situation on the Korean Peninsula turns more intense, China seems to intentionally avoid provoking North Korea (although sometimes both diplomatic and economic measures are applied by Beijing). But when tension on the peninsula subsides for a while, these two countries hardly share a true intimacy like the close ties between allies. This poses a question: how close are China and North Korea? Or, to be more pointed, does China need to abandon North Korea?
Domestic opinion in China has been clear, although sometimes antithetical. Some scholars believe that China needs to free itself from the old Cold War regional framework, especially given that North Korea’s importance as a “buffer zone” is actually decreasing as the means of modern warfare and form of competition among countries change. These scholars argue that China thus needs to give up North Korea based on a series of serious considerations, such as North Korea’s persistence in its nuclear program despite China’s deep concerns. Although these scholars do not necessarily speak for the Chinese government, their arguments to some extent reveal certain attitude changes among the Chinese public and even some government officials. Meanwhile, other scholars claim that geopolitical factors continue to prevail especially in Northeast Asia, which can be seen by the consistent or even intensified U.S. military presence. Hence China “abandoning” North Korea might cause a chain reaction in the region, and in a worst-case scenario would force China into a passive role.
Read the full story at The Diplomat