China and the Two Koreas: A New Era for the Rising Hegemon

Recently, the U.S. moved its pivot from the Middle East to East Asia. It was a belated reaction to deal with the new world order. China is rising as the sole competitor of the U.S. in world politics, and trying to consolidate its influence on the region. The Korean Peninsula seems likely to be a frontline again for U.S. and China, similar to the confrontation between the Soviet Union and the U.S. during the Cold War era. I was able to find some sources on this issue including books and scholarly articles with a great amount of information and details on this subject. China is not an unconditional ally of North Korea anymore. Today’s system is more complex than the Cold War system, and I find that economic factors play a great role in determining China’s foreign policy toward the peninsula. Ideological influence on making the country’s policy is not powerful enough anymore to outweigh economic loss from not having good relations with other economically developed countries. The conclusion of my research is that China’s sphere is becoming wider and stronger in this region. China not only still has a good relationship with North Korea, but also tries to build strong economic ties with South Korea. In light of these facts, the U.S. needs to reconsider its policy on this region to deal with China’s effective strategy on the Korean Peninsula