Sino-NK

China-North Korea Dossier No. 4
Contact Between China and the DPRK: 2010-2012
Focus on Ambassador Liu Hongcai
Nick Miller

Download the full text to China-North Korea Dossier No. 4, Contact Between China and the DPRK: 2010-2012 Focus on Ambassador Liu Hongcai

Executive Summary

This dossier, written by Nick Miller, aims at a more comprehensive understanding of elite relationships between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with a focus on diplomacy. The dossier utilizes open-sources such as English-language North Korean and Chinese party papers to investigate: Who were the chief political players in Chinese and North Korean foreign policy between 2010 and 2012? By graphing out how often and which comrades met, a baseline can be created for understanding the current multifaceted disruption in Chinese-North Korean relations.

This dossier has been broken down into the three main sections. Section I examines the role China’s embassy in Pyongyang plays as well as the challenges the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs faces in changing China’s policy towards North Korea. Section II examines the role of China’s Ambassador to North Korea, currently Liu Hongcai, providing critical background information, political connections, and the role he plays in implementing China’s policies towards the North Korean government.  Section III is a breakdown of the meetings that occurred between 2010 and 2012 that would have had an impact on Chinese-DPRK relations.

Nick Miller is a freelance researcher on Northeast Asian security issues with a focus on elite politics within China and North Korea. He received his masters degree in international relations at Flinders University and did post-graduate studies at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. He received his bachelors in political science from Guilford College.

Previous Dossiers:

Dossier No. 1: “China and the North Korean Succession”

Dossier No. 2: “China’s ‘Measure of Reserve’ toward Succession”

Dossier No. 3: North Korea’s Relations with China at the End of the Kim Jong-il Era