Why China-North Korea Ties are Warming Again

In the 1950s, Mao Zedong described the relationship between China and North Korea as “as close as lips and teeth.” Over subsequent decades, the relationship has ebbed and flowed, alternating between close alignment and periods of strain. In recent months, China-NK ties appear to be warming once again. A series of high-level exchanges, including Kim Jong Un’s attendance at China’s Victory Day parade last September, followed by a trip to North Korea by Chinese Premier Li Qiang the following month, suggest renewed diplomatic momentum. Chinese Foreign Affairs Commission Director and Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Pyongyang in mid-April is the latest sign of this trend.

What is driving this renewed rapprochement between China and North Korea, and what are the implications for the United States? To explore these questions, we are joined today by Andrew Scobell. Andrew is a Distinguished Fellow at the Institute for Security and Development Policy’s Asia Program and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University. His work focuses on Chinese foreign and security policy, and he has published extensively on China-North Korea relations.

Timestamps:

[00:00] Introduction
[01:38] China’s Interests on the Korean Peninsula

[04:41] A Cooling of Pyongyang-Beijing Relations?

[07:48] How Beijing Views Russia-North Korea Ties
[11:26] What’s Driving Chinese Interest in North Korea

[14:57] Assessing Wang Yi’s Visit to Pyongyang
[18:20] Shifting Stances on Denuclearization

[22:09] Implications for the United States

[25:48] US-China Shared Interests on the Korean Peninsula