ABSTRACT

This chapter looks at the trends and dynamics in current China–Korea relations to ascertain what the future holds for Beijing’s relationship with the Korea Peninsula. It argues that given the DPRK’s unlikely denuclearization, alliance patterns inherited from the Cold War will most likely prevail, and the security architecture of the region will remain unchanged. This status quo is beneficial to China, which will enjoy relative strategic stability in its immediate neighborhood and an almost exclusive relations with an otherwise heavily sanctioned North Korea. As a result, China, which does not always comply with international sanctions against the DPRK, will be able to carry out economic integration efforts with the Korean Peninsula rather than the reunification processes led by South Korea.