China and North Korea

[madison999]

Isn't that why china shipped like 150,000 troops to the border, to keep refugees out of it hits the fan?

[slamont61]

Birds of a feather....

[Unsettomati]

Originally Posted by slamont61

Birds of a feather....

Not at all.

China and North Korea are not 'birds of a feather'.

And their political relationship is certainly not based on any sort of ideological solidarity, though a modicum of grudging 'Comradely respect' has to be put forth for domestic public consumption.

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North Korea is a totalitarian Stalinist state.
China is an authoritarian state which pays lip-service to communism but in practice uses it mostly as a sort of rationalization of one-party rule.

North Korea is communism in practice and is a starving basket-case as a result.
China has implemented many market reforms precisely to avoid the pitfalls of orthodox Marxist economics, having become largely a corporatist economy.

North Korea is xenophobic.
China is globalist.

North Korea is a hereditary system where all power is concentrated in the leader for life, who establishes a cult of personality.
China features a rotating Presidency of limited powers, and Chinese Presidents - who post-Mao are portrayed as bland personality-less individuals merely performing a function - are put out to pasture after a maximum of ten years in office.

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The specific reasons for the nature of the China-North Korean relationship have been covered pretty well here already, so I won't rehash them. Were North Korea on the other side of the globe - say, like Cuba - then there wouldn't be much of a relationship at all. Since they're adjacent, they're more or less forced into bed together. That is much of the basis of the relationship.

[JONOV]

Thank You everyone. This has been helpful to my understanding.

It sounds like its a little bit of a holdover, like when we used to prop up Banana Republic dictatorships to prevent communism, only with a shared border and China's understandable desire not to make waves in the region.

[LINative]

Originally Posted by JONOV

Thank You everyone. This has been helpful to my understanding.

It sounds like its a little bit of a holdover, like when we used to prop up Banana Republic dictatorships to prevent communism, only with a shared border and China's understandable desire not to make waves in the region.

I have been wondering myself, why are the Chinese still backing North Korea? I think you are right about the holdover comment. The Chinese still see North Korea as their ally from an earlier period.

But also, the Americans have troops in South Korea. And even worse, the Americans are allied with Japan. So North Korea is seen as a useful buffer state.

Finally the Chinese themselves say they are afraid of a refugee crisis. While there maybe truth in that, I think it is partially just an excuse. Better to keep the status quo, after all the North Koreans are more dangerous to South Korea, the US and Japan then they are to China.

[robertbrianbush]

Originally Posted by msgsing

I don't know if you could actually call China an ally of North Korea. They're kind of a babysitter for North Korea making sure things don't implode and create problems for the Chinese economy and international relations with the West.


A regime change could cause thousands of refugees to stream across the Yalu River looking for food, shelter and housing. If the current ruler is deposed then the possibility exists that the new leaders would align with South Korea and the US creating a shift in the balance of power in the region.

True. But it may be worth considering that China and North Korea do have a mutual defense treaty, signed in 1961.

[sgttrunk]

You have to go back to WWII. Remember General Macarther wanted to finish off Red China. Then came the Korean War. China does not want US troops in North Korea stacked on their border. China has influence over North Korea because of their Military. North Korea is afraid the US will invade them. So they need China.