China and Inter-Korean Relations

This article elaborates on China’s policy toward the Korean peninsula, especially Beijing’s treatment of inter-Korean relations since the June 2000 summit. For the most part, the policy has been remarkably consistent in the post-cold war era as its driving force has been the maintenance of goodneighborly relations with both South and North Korea to ensure the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Korean peninsula. A stable, prosperous Korean peninsula can only help foster a favorable security environment in the Northeast Asian region, a condition most conducive to China’s domestic modernization drive.