Report Rollout: Reordering Chinese Priorities on the Korean Peninsula

This panel discusses the changing relationship between China and North Korea with their new leadership and what that means for Obama's second administration.

With Remarks by
Bonnie Glaser
Senior Advisor for Asia, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS

Scott Snyder
Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy, Council on Foreign Relations

Marcus Noland
Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics

Moderated by
Christopher Johnson
Senior Advisor and Chairholder, Freeman Chair in China Studies, CSIS

The accession to power of a new leader in North Korea has not increased the prospects for denuclearization. Hints that Kim Jong-un might experiment with agricultural and economic reforms are not accompanied by any suggestion that he is considering abandoning the country’s nuclear weapons program. On the contrary, all signs point to North Korea’s staunch determination to advance the nuclear program while undertaking efforts to compel the international community to recognize it as a nuclear weapons state.

The China-North Korea relationship has been strengthened in recent years, not only in the trade and economic realm, but also the bilateral military and party relationship. At the same time, however, there are many sources of friction in China-North Korea ties.  Understanding the evolving nature of that relationship is critically important for advancing American interests and developing policy toward the Korean Peninsula in the second Obama administration.   

To discuss these issues, CSIS hosted a June 2012 roundtable series in which U.S. policy experts discussed the evolving China-North Korea relationship and ways forward for Washington and Seoul.  The CSIS report, “Reordering Chinese Priorities on the Korean Peninsula,” is based in part on those discussions.

Both the roundtable series and the subsequent report were made possible by the generous support of the Korea Foundation.

The event will begin with remarks by three panelists who are also contributing authors to the CSIS report. It will be followed by a Q&A session moderated by Christopher Johnson. Copies of the report will be made available to attendees.

Please register here