International Affairs
The Chinese government has had long ties with North Korea. China supports North Korea with the much-needed oil and food aid. China as a vested interest in North Korea since it serves its geostrategic interests. Therefore, China would not wish to see a regime collapses since this will lead to loss of a trading partner and further the country may experience refugee influx (Chang-Kwoun, 2015). It is instructing that Beijing is concerned about North Korea’s nuclear program as evidenced by its push for a resumption of six-party talks that aims to denuclearize North Korea.
China has been supporting North Korea since 1950-1953 during Korean War. The two countries have collaborated to date and China continues to offer political and economic support to North Korea. The latest North Korea missile test came to play in 2017 and China expressed its concerns and, in the event, called North Korea to refrain from such actions since they were causing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The fact that China expresses displeasure with the North Korea nuclear ambitions notwithstanding, Beijing seems to take calculated moves in addressing the entire issue. The cooperation between the two countries is growing. It is worth noting that over 90 percent of North Korea’s foreign trade originates from China (Albert, 2018). For example, the two countries in 2015 opened a bulk-cargo and container shipping point to facilitate the export of coal from North Korea to China. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
China insistence on the Korean peninsula stability serves its interest in the sense that, it offers a buffer zone between China and the democratic south which hosts US troops. Therefore, China would not wish to see North Korea’s regime collapse. Any slight instability in the Korean Peninsula would lead to refugee influx to China and such scenario would strain China in their support. In any case, China prioritizes Korean Peninsula stability over the aspect of denuclearization.
References
Albert, E. (2018). The China–North Korea Relationship. Retrieved from Council on Foreign Relations: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/china-north-korea-relationship
Chang-Kwoun, P. (2015). Rethinking North Korea’s Denuclearization: Approaches and Strategies. Retrieved from http://isdp.eu/content/uploads/publications/2015-park-rethinking-north-koreas-denuclearization.pdf