China and North Korea: A Relationship in Transition?
Niklas Swanström and Kelly Chen
Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula have been escalating for several months now. The latest events with the missile launches and newly released reports on the abduction of Chinese fishermen by North Korea have further exacerbated the situation and also cast doubt on the once close relationship between China and North Korea. Beijing has come under increasing pressure from the international community to take a tougher stance on Pyongyang. By observing China’s behavior, it would seem likely that such a development is possible. However, it would be unrealistic to expect that China will abandon North Korea, as this is not in its strategic interests.
Related Publications
-
ISDP Annual Report 2023
ISDP’s Annual Report for the year 2023. We look back on 2023, a year in which tensions and conflicts captured the strategic space in ISDP’s focus areas, making headlines around […]
-
Risk Reduction and Crisis Management on the Korean Peninsula
The situation on the Korean Peninsula is inherently intertwined with the growing instability of the East Asian security environment, where high tensions significantly increase the risk of unintended incidents and armed […]