China and the North Korean Nukes

This week Donald Trump met with the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, in Hanoi, Vietnam. The two were supposed to discuss disarmement of North Koreas nuclear program, lifting of sanctions and maybe even an end-of-war declaration. But the meeting was a short one. On Thursday morning Trump called off a planned lunch with the Korean leader and made a hurried press conference stating that “sometimes its better to walk away”. The two leaders couldn´t agree on whether the sanctions were to be lifted in one swift move and whether Kim Jong-un should dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility before or after the lifting of sanctions. So now we´re back to square one. But maybe Hanoi – and Donald Trump - isn´t the right place to look for a solution to the North Korean problem. Maybe we should look towards another place, where North Koreas main patron is. And that is of course China and its president, Xi Jinping. A country that is basically the lifeline of the North Korean leadership and holds great sway in Pyongyang. But at times it has been difficult to figure out what exactly is Chinas game in North Korea. China is both an ally of North Korea – and a global superpower that fears a rogue state with nuclear weapons and supports the international sanctions regime against the country. In this podcast we examine the role of China in denuclarizing North Korea. And the relationship between China and the US.

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