China in the World Podcast
11.02.20The Korean Peninsula after the U.S. Elections
from Carnegie China
The result of the upcoming U.S. presidential election will directly impact how the United States, China, and Russia approach issues on the Korean Peninsula. How would a second Trump or first Biden administration deal with North Korea? How do...
China in the World Podcast
05.27.20Coronavirus and the Korean Peninsula
from Carnegie China
As nations confront the pandemic, rumors of Kim Jong-un’s death and a flurry of North Korean missile tests injected even more uncertainty in the international landscape. How do views in Washington, Seoul, and Beijing differ or align on North Korea?...
China in the World Podcast
04.15.19Susan Thornton on a Crisis in U.S.-China Relations
from Carnegie China
Over three years into Trump’s presidency, U.S.-China trade and economic issues remain unresolved while security concerns are creeping into the bilateral agenda. Thornton contends that Washington and Beijing should quickly agree on an initial trade...
China in the World Podcast
09.20.18North Korea Diplomacy and U.S.-China Relations
from Carnegie China
Paul Haenle joined Kaiser Kuo to discuss next steps for DPRK diplomacy and tensions between the United States and China over trade, Taiwan, and the Belt and Road Initiative. Haenle shared his experience working as White House representative to the...
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06.19.18Kim Jong-un Returns to China, This Time With Leverage
New York Times
North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday amid an escalating trade conflict between China and the United States, one that gives him an opening to play the powers against each other as Washington presses him to dismantle his...
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06.13.18The Unexpected Winner From the Trump-Kim Summit: China
Wall Street Journal
China is setting its sights on a key role in North Korea’s future, seeking to be part of any peace treaty, weapons inspections and economic assistance, after emerging as a surprise beneficiary of the summit between the U.S. and North Korean leaders.
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06.13.18China Says U.S.-North Korea Summit Offers No Lesson for Taiwan Ties
Reuters
A warming of ties between the United States and North Korea does not mean China will reach out to Taiwan for a similar summit, the Chinese government said on Wednesday.
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06.12.18Ivanka Trump Quotes ‘Chinese Proverb,’ but China Is Baffled
New York Times
It was supposed to be a triumphant tweet.
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06.12.18How Did Kim Jong-un Get to Singapore? With Some Help From China.
New York Times
When Kim Jong-un arrived in Singapore on Sunday for his landmark summit meeting with President Trump, he stepped off a jumbo jet emblazoned with the logo of Air China and the Chinese national flag.
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06.12.18Ending Military Exercises? Trump’s Plan for North Korea Was China’s Plan First.
Washington Post
President Trump cut a deal with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un — and China is going to like it.
ChinaFile Recommends
06.12.18Chinese Companies May Invest in North Korea. American Not so Much
CNN
President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on Tuesday at a historic summit that the United States hopes will lead to North Korean nuclear disarmament.
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06.12.18Trump’s North Korea Summit Falls Short of Nixon-Goes-To-China Moment
Reuters
Donald Trump’s dramatic meeting with North Korea’s leader may have been choreographed to look like a Nixon-goes-to-China moment, but the summit appears to have failed to secure any concrete commitments by Pyongyang for dismantling its nuclear...
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05.29.18Top Aide to Kim Jong-Un Is Bound for U.S., Trump Says
New York Times
Kim Yong-chol, one of the most trusted aides to the North’s leader, is “heading now to New York."
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05.18.18Trump Cedes Trade Leverage to China in His Quest for Kim Summit
Bloomberg
North Korea may turn out to be Chinese President Xi Jinping’s greatest ally in negotiating a trade deal with President Donald Trump.
China in the World Podcast
05.09.18What Comes Next after the Panmunjom Summit?
from Carnegie China
Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea at the Panmunjom Summit in April 2018, setting the stage for President Trump’s meeting with Kim in June. Just days after the summit, Paul Haenle spoke with Tong Zhao, a...
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05.08.18Kim Pays a Second Surprise Visit to China, Heightening Diplomatic Drama
New York Times
The leaders of China and North Korea met for the second time in two months on Tuesday, staying overnight in this Chinese port city as China worked to regain control in the fast-moving diplomacy over the North’s nuclear program.
Conversation
04.25.18Does China Want the Koreas to Reconcile?
This Friday, April 27, the South Korean and North Korean leaders will meet in the demilitarized zone dividing their estranged countries to discuss improving relations and possibly even formally ending the Korean War, which has continued in the form...
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04.10.18What China Gained From Hosting Kim Jong Un
Foreign Affairs
In late March, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who had not stepped foot outside the hermit kingdom since taking power in 2011, traveled to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time.
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04.02.18Three Takeaways from Kim Jong Un’s Trip to China
Washington Post
What to learn from the secret meeting between Xi and Kim?
Viewpoint
03.31.18Nixon in China, Trump in Pyongyang
On March 25, the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Beijing in an armored train for talks with Chinese Communist Party Secretary Xi Jinping, the first known time he traveled outside his country since his father and predecessor died in...
Conversation
03.28.18Kim Jong-un Visits Beijing
After two days of rumors, on Wednesday March 28, the official news agencies of China and North Korea announced that North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un had just completed a visit to Beijing. The “unofficial visit,” as Xinhua put it, was Kim’s first...
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03.28.18When Xi Met Kim: How China and North Korea Depicted It
New York Times
Kim Jong-un’s surprise visit to Beijing this week to meet President Xi Jinping added an element of intrigue to talks over North Korea’s nuclear program.
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03.28.18China Says North Korea’s Kim Pledged Commitment to Denuclearization
Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged his commitment to denuclearization and to meet U.S. officials, China said on Wednesday after his meeting with President Xi Jinping, who promised China would uphold friendship with its isolated neighbor.
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03.27.18What Kim Jong-Un May Get in Reaching out to China
New York Times
A flurry of activity and speculation surrounding Beijing’s diplomatic quarter on Tuesday accompanied what officials described as an unusual, and highly secretive, visit by North Korean dignitaries, possibly even the country’s youthful leader, Kim...
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03.27.18North Korean Leader Kim Jong-Un Leaves Beijing after Surprise Visit
South China Morning Post
Security returns to normal in Chinese capital as armored train pulls out.
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03.27.18Why Would Kim Jong Un Make a Secret Trip to China?
CNN
A surprise visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to China may indicate Pyongyang’s need for support from its closest ally ahead of upcoming summits with South Korea and the US.
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03.26.18North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Is Said to Be Visiting China
Bloomberg
Kim Jong Un has made a surprise visit to Beijing on his first known trip outside North Korea since taking power in 2011, three people with knowledge of the visit said.
Conversation
03.13.18When Trump and Kim Meet, What Will Xi Do?
On March 8, South Korea’s National Security Advisor announced that Donald Trump had agreed to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un by May. Although now-ousted Secretary of State Rex Tillerson previously downplayed the announcement, a summit...
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03.13.18Beijing Watches and Waits While Trump Talks up His Meeting with Kim Jong Un
CNBC
The milestone summit suits Beijing's interests so the communist state isn't expected to interfere.
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03.12.18South Korea Moves to Ease Chinese Jitters over U.S.-North Korea Talks
CNN
South Korean officials met with Xi about Trump-Kim Meeting.
Viewpoint
11.08.17Will Trump’s ‘Flattery Machine’ Work on Xi Jinping?
Before winging off to Beijing, Trump managed to convince his staff and Korean President Moon to take him to the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Many of his aides were said to have been wary about the idea, fearing he might make some kind of provocative...
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10.26.17North Korea’s Kim Congratulates China’s Xi after Congress
Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a rare congratulatory message to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday at the end of China’s Communist Party Congress, wishing him “great success” as head of the nation, the North’s state media said.
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10.02.17Why Kim Jong Un Is Alienating China
Washington Post
Totalitarian leaders usually don’t explain themselves, and Kim — six years in power and only 33 — is no exception. But insights into his Sino-belligerence can be gleaned from the back story of his family.
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10.02.17In Tillerson's China Stop, Questions on North Korea but Slim Chance of Clarity
New York Times
Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson is scheduled to arrive in Beijing early Saturday for a brief visit, amid confusing signals about President Trump’s position on two questions looming over the confrontation with North Korea: Is America’s long-term...
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09.27.17There’s One North Korea Taboo China's Leaders Won’t Talk About
Bloomberg
In discussions between the U.S. and China about reining in North Korea, one topic remains taboo: What would happen if Kim Jong Un’s regime collapses?
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09.25.17Is Trump All Talk on North Korea? The Uncertainty Sends a Shiver
New York Times
Mr. Trump’s willingness to casually threaten to annihilate a nuclear-armed foe was yet another reminder of the steep risks inherent in his brute-force approach to diplomacy.
Sinica Podcast
09.22.17North Korea Behind the Scenes
from Sinica Podcast
North Korea is a mystery to nearly everyone—even those who have dedicated their lives to studying the country, including Korean experts based in Seoul, national security experts in Washington or Beijing, and a variety of foreigners who have spent...
Conversation
09.21.17What Will China Do if the U.S. Attacks North Korea?
During a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 19, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that if North Korea threatened the United States or its allies, he would “totally destroy” the nation. As tensions continue to rise between...
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08.24.17Did Kim Jong-Un Kill His Uncle and Brother over ‘Coup Plot Involving China’?
Telegraph
Sources told the newspaper that Kim Jong-Un’s uncle, Mr. Jang Song Thaek, proposed a plot to overthrow Mr. Kim, with Beijing's assistance, and to replace him with his oldest half-brother, Kim Jong-nam.
Conversation
08.10.17Should China Support the U.S. in a War with North Korea?
On August 9, U.S. President Donald Trump warned North Korea that if it does not stop threatening the United States, it will be “met with fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before.” Just hours later, the...
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07.13.17China Is Trading More with North Korea but Buying Much Less Coal
CNN
A Chinese government official said Thursday that China-North Korea trade was worth $2.6 billion in the first half of 2017, up about 10% over the same period last year.
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05.15.17Commentary: Why North Korea Is Turning into a Headache for China and Xi Jinping
Channel NewsAsia
Chinese President Xi Jinping has found himself in a peculiar predicament over the North Korean nuclear issue. Although Xi is widely believed to be far more popular as a global leader than his immediate predecessor, President Hu Jintao, he is...
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05.15.17North Korea Blights China’s One Belt, One Road Party with Missile Launch
North Korea’s missile launch Sunday came at a highly embarrassing time for China, its chief ally and economic partner. As Chinese President Xi Jinping prepared to inaugurate the Belt and Road Forum, Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile from a base in...
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05.03.17China Tells U.S. and North Korea to ‘Stop Irritating Each Other’
Independent
China has called on all parties in the Korean standoff to stay calm and “stop irritating each other” a day after North Korea said the United States was pushing the region to the brink of nuclear war.
Viewpoint
05.03.17Thinking about War with China
Let’s not kid ourselves. The armed forces of the United States and China are now very far along in planning and practicing how to go to war with each other. Neither has any idea when or why it might have to engage the other on the battlefield but...
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05.01.17Pals Donald Trump and Xi Jinping Still Split on North Korea
Daily Beast
Even President Trump’s newfound and well-advertised friendship with Xi Jinping may not be enough to overcome the sharp differences between the United States’ and China’s goals on North Korea.
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04.26.17The North Korea Rhetoric Is Angry -- but Is Conflict Closer?
CNN
U.S. warships and submarines are on the move. North Korea has carried out its largest ever live-fire drill. Washington and Pyongyang are trading inflammatory rhetoric on a weekly basis.
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04.20.17China Left as Observer as Tensions Rise on Korean Peninsula
Washington Post
China’s foreign minister recently likened the U.S. and North Korea to two speeding trains hurtling toward each other, an analogy that would seem to place China in the role of helpless bystander. And indeed, while tensions have risen, Beijing has...
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04.18.17Trump: I Haven't Softened My Stance on China
Politico
Trump left open the possibility that China might ultimately be unable, or unwilling, to apply sufficient pressure on North Korea.
ChinaFile Recommends
04.18.17Trump: I Haven't Softened My Stance on China
Politico
Trump left open the possibility that China might ultimately be unable, or unwilling, to apply sufficient pressure on North Korea.
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04.18.17The North Korean threat is literally on parade. Can Trump get China to act?
Washington Post
Is Mr. Trump driving toward a new outcome with China or the same old dead end?
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04.17.17China’s Korea Policy ‘in Tatters’ as Both North and South Defy Sanctions
Washington Post
On Monday, South Korea announced that it would press ahead with the “swift deployment” of a U.S. missile defense system, despite vociferous Chinese opposition.
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02.16.17China Loses a Friend, and Leverage, with North Korean Murder
Bloomberg
The mysterious death of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother removed a potential avenue for China to press the North Korean leader to rein in his nuclear ambitions.
China in the World Podcast
02.08.17China’s North Korea Calculus under Trump
from Carnegie China
Two weeks into President Trump’s first term, the White House has launched a review of its North Korea policy. Dealing with the threat from Pyongyang’s missile launches and nuclear weapons program is likely to top the administration’s security agenda...
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01.03.17As Trump and North Korea’s Kim Spar, China Poses as the Responsible Actor
Washington Post
President-elect Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have been trading threats this week, while China poses as the mature, reasonable kid on the block.
The NYRB China Archive
08.18.16Who Is Kim Jong-un?
from New York Review of Books
The pudgy cheeks and flaring hairdo of North Korea’s young ruler Kim Jong-un, his bromance with tattooed and pierced former basketball star Dennis Rodman, his boy-on-a-lark grin at missile firings, combine incongruously with the regime’s pledge to...
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05.10.16China's Xi Congratulates North Korea's Kim on New Title
Associated Press
Xi Congratulates Kim Jong Un on being chairman of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, underscoring traditional ties between the communist neighbors despite recent strains.
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03.11.16China Has Unblocked Internet Searches That Refer to Kim Jong-Un as a ‘Pig’
Time
Experts say it may be a sign of China's displeasure with Kim's nuclear buildup.
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02.10.16Will China Take Kim Jong-Un's Insult Lying Down?
Newsweek
North Korea has conducted a nuclear weapon test and an intercontinental ballistic missile test as Beijing tries to repair frayed ties with Pyongyang.
Conversation
02.09.16What New Approach Should the U.S. and China Take to North Korea?
On Sunday, North Korea launched a long range rocket many see as a test of its capability to launch a missile attack against the U.S., defying both American and Chinese pressure not do so. Republican U.S. presidential candidates argued Washington...