Abstract

The relationship between China and the Korean Peninsula is frequently in flux, and peace and continuity on the peninsula have been critical factors for dynastic stability. After 1949, China moved quickly to restore influence between the PRC and the DPRK. The PRC-DPRK relationship was propelled forward by personal bonds between leaders and citizens, the disputes with Taiwan and South Korea, the attraction of a relationship founded on equal and mutual assistance, and so forth. However, over time, the relationship was deeply undermined by an excessive reliance on the personal actions of leaders, clear ideological differences, gaps in the cognition of the global situation between the two countries, and the perception by the Chinese that North Korea's demands for economic assistance were excessive. The consequence was a loosening and weakening of this relationship. The two countries perceived the international situation in profoundly different ways. Over time, the two nations expressed deep differences on political issues, and rifts emerged concerning the fundamental developmental model. North Korea's “equality” and “equal” distance diplomacy created much frustration in China-DPRK relations. The political and diplomatic relationship between China and North Korea followed a complex pattern of differentiation, separation, and bridging that made cooperation problematic.