Journal Article

Xi Jinping's North Korea Policy

Kim, Jangho, Kim, Yongsoon

2022

Overview

Purpose-This is an article which intends to clarify and profoundly specify China's North Korean foreign policy. Design, Methodology, Approach-This is a viewpoint paper which seeks to enhance the understanding of, and remedy any misunderstanding of China's key interest, as well as its intentions. Findings-First, regarding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the subsequent sanctions against the North, China wants to be seen as a legitimate, norm-based, great power. Second is the PRC-DPRK bilateral economic cooperation, which is a practicality driven diplomacy. Strategic efforts for balancing between justification and practicality represent its diplomatic concerns because Beijing's efforts to strike a strategic balance have resulted in lowering its \"bottom-line thinking.\" Practical Implications-As competition between the U.S. and China intensifies, China will pursue a more tactical two-sided strategy between implementing sanctions against the North, while at the same time cooperating economically with North Korea. China has to realize that its policy towards the North will result in a continued lowering of its political and strategic room to maneuver. Originality, Value-While much of the literature on PRC-DPRK regards China's diplomacy through the \"buffer zone\" explanation, this study sheds light on two other motives that clarify China's actions. China's North Korea policy is strategically focused on the above two areas.

• Publisher: McFarland & Company,McFarland & Company, Inc
• Subject: Cold War / Cooperation / Diplomacy / Foreign policy / Geopolitics / Hu Jintao / International cooperation / Issue Articles / Justification / Miscommunication / Nuclear tests / Nuclear weapons / Political alliances / Politics / Power / Public opinion / Sanctions / Xi Jinping