Despite North-Korea’s threat to start a nuclear war, new sanctions by the United Nations and heated debates in Beijing, a serious change of China’s attitude towards its unruly neighbor seems not at the agenda, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News.
Wendell Minnick:
Chinese scholars and think tankers doubt there will be serious change in China’s policy on North Korea at a strategic level, although tactical changes are inevitable as North Korea continues to thumb its nose at its old friend.
Street protests and a flood of angry media reports in China have demonstrated a sea change in China’s attitude toward its old comrades.
“North Korea’s continuous provocations defying China’s demands, warnings and brazen neglect of China’s key strategic and security interests certainly drive many in China, both in the public and among elites, to ‘soul-searching’ on its North Korea policy,” said Wang Dong, director, School of International Studies, Center for Northeast Asian Strategic Studies, Peking University, Beijing.
Despite the “soul searching,” it still appears unlikely that senior members of the Chinese Communist Party will do much more than tweak current policy guidelines on North Korea.
Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.
China’s relation with Africa is yet another important corner stone of the country’s international politics. Not for nothing Xi Jinping will visit Africa as the first continent after becoming the country’s new president. Last week the China Weekly Hangout discussed how China’s media are paving China’s way into Africa with Eric Olander of the China Africa Project, freelance journalist Lara Farrar and Fons Tuinstra, president of the China Speakers Bureau.
This week, on Thursday 14 March, the China Weekly Hangout will focus on the media in Hong Kong. In the 1990s they were a beacon of hope, and Hong Kong one of few global news capitals. With Paul Fox of the HKU we will discuss the state of Hong Kong media. You can read our announcement here, or directly register at our event page.
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