The recent strides that North Korea has made in its nuclear and missile technologies have the international community scrambling to deal with the fallout. As North Korea's only treaty ally and an indispensable trade partner, China is widely believed to hold the key to defuse the crisis. But we have been in similar situations before, and the results have been almost perennial disappointments. Ironically, as things stand right now, Beijing’s relations with both Pyongyang and Seoul have reached a nadir.
In this presentation Dr. Yang will first lay out China’s basic policies and positions on key issues in the Korean peninsula, while paying attention to the nuances and evolutionary history of these policies and positions. He will then discuss the intensifying debates in opinion and intellectual circles in China that both reflect and underlie China’s difficulty in formulating a coherent strategy vis-à-vis the two Koreas and the United States. As the overall U.S.-China relations continue to deteriorate, this tortured struggle will grind on, he argues, as will the enduring sense of insecurity in the region.
Those interested in attending the event should contact Anna Tanaka.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 808.944.7607
Speaker
Dr. Xiangfeng Yang is Assistant Professor in the EASTASIA International College at Yonsei University Wonju Campus in South Korea. A Chinese national, he holds a Master’s from Nanjing University and a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Southern California. Before arriving at Yonsei, he taught at a public university in Georgia, and held fellowships at Waseda University in Tokyo, the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, and Korea University in Seoul. His research and teaching focus is on Asian politics, East Asian regional security, U.S.-China relations, global governance, and globalization. A recent paper, titled “The Anachronism of a China Socialized: Why Engagement Is Not All It’s Cracked Up to Be,” appeared in the Chinese Journal of International Politics. Besides academic publishing, he has also written for Chinese- and English-language media outlets, such as the 21st Century Business Herald.