Chinese Perspectives On The Korean Peninsula’s Nuclear Crisis And Korean Unification

This thesis examines Chinese perspectives on the ongoing Korean Peninsula’s Nuclear Crisis and the future possibility of Korean Unification. By drawing upon the results of an extensive questionnaire, recent scholarly publications regarding Chinese and Korean affairs, and up-to-date relevant internet blogs, I will reveal Chinese sentiment towards these two important present-day issues and argue that China prioritizes its national interest and economic development over taking concrete steps towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and Korean Unification and therefore maintains the current status-quo. While Chinese opinion is unified on key-issues such as opposing Korean Unification and repelling U.S. containment strategies, it remains divided on many minor issues regarding the shape and form of China’s DPRK policies and what consequences these might have for China’s future.