Author Archive

Does a New Ambassador Mean a “Reset” In China-North Korea Relations?

By | March 27, 2015

With a deep dive into Beijing’s internal bureaucratic politics and Li Jinjun’s predecessors in Pyongyang, Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga sheds light on China’s evolving stance toward North Korea.

Assessing North Korea’s Nuclear Gambit: A View from Beijing

By | December 03, 2014

Chinese policy debate over North Korea has been rather fractious of late. A new translation by Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga shows Zhang Liangui wading into the fray, via an essay for a premier foreign affairs periodical in the PRC.

PLA General on “Incalculable Damage” of North Korea’s Nuclear Program

By | December 20, 2013

If China begins to see itself as the primary victim of North Korea’s nuclear research, then a more confrontational approach toward Pyongyang becomes possible, reveals a new translation by Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga.

Plus ça change: Getting China to Enforce Sanctions on North Korea

By | July 21, 2013

Maybe China is now talking the talk on enforcing sanctions resolutions against North Korea, but is it walking the walk? In a new piece taken from the Yonsei Journal of International Studies, analysts Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga and Jenny Jun address the thorny topic of Chinese enforcement of a sanctions system that it willingly signed up to.

Salvaging a Misstep? Vice Marshal Choe Ryong-hae in Beijing

By | June 05, 2013

V.Mar Choe Ryong-hae managed to press the CPC flesh in Beijing just before the Xi-Obama summit in California at the end of this week. Following on from his timely May 23 analysis of Choe’s trip as it was happening, Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga analyzes the fallout.

A Choe in the Land of La La: Reviving China-North Korea Relations

By | May 23, 2013

What does a “special envoy” want and how does he get it? Analyst Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga establishes Choe Ryong-hae’s baselines for success as he takes the word of Kim Jong-un to Beijing.

China and UN Security Council Resolution 2094: Is the Third Time the Charm?

By | March 11, 2013

Is China’s support for enhanced sanctions a fulcrum toward the future, or just repetition on an old theme? Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga talks it out.

When the Bomb Goes Boom: Gauging China’s Policy Responses

By | February 13, 2013

We have been tracking likely Chinese reactions to a North Korean test for the past two months. We capture official and un-official reactions. How were our predictions? Pretty good.