Publication

This report reviews China’s economic engagement with North Korea and how it has influenced Beijing’s implementation of UN Security Council resolutions against Pyongyang’s nuclear program. The report concludes that 1) following North Korea’s 2013 nuclear test, China did indeed take a more hostile position towards Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, and 2) while Beijing now believes that North Korea should relinquish the nukes it has, it also doubts that’s possible. Finally, the text’s authors assess Europe’s past cooperation with China on the North Korea problem and recommend ways to conduct it more systematically.