On October 1, 2019, GW Institute for Korean Studies and East Asia Resource Center held a Korea Policy Forum on “The U.S.-China Strategic Rivalry and the Korean Peninsula.” GWIKS brought together three experts, from South Korea, the United States, and China, who provided insights from each country’s viewpoints. The speakers discussed how the changing strategic equations surrounding the Korean peninsula will impact the security and prosperity in the region and the strategic choices and paths for the Korean peninsula.
Heung-Kyu Kim, the Founder and Director of China Policy Institute and professor in the Department of Political Science at Ajou University, South Korea, talked about the ongoing U.S.-China strategic competition that has brought unprecedented challenges to South Korea’s security, foreign policies and economy. He explained that South Korea finds itself caught between the U.S. and China while being forced to make decisions. Because of this, South Korea’s traditional foreign policy orientation is no longer effective. Dr. Kim further talked about Chinese response to the competition, stating that “Chinese leadership at last fully recognized by May of 2019 that there is little chance of compromise with the U.S.” Therefore, he emphasized that South Korea may need a role of 3rd party in this competition in order to provide a space for restraints from, balancing in, mediating the competition. Dr. Kim suggested Australia as the third party to enlarge the role of middle power cooperation in his conclusion of this speech.
Scott A. Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, touched on the issue of where the Korean issues stand in the U.S.-China relationship, and also reviewed how the Obama and Trump administrations have failed in terms of managing North Korean issues. While the U.S. have been continuously seeking Chinese cooperation over the U.S. Security Council Resolutions on North Korea, Mr. Snyder stressed that the U.S. needs more strategies to successfully attract China on the table as North Korea also valued the meeting between Obama and Xi Jinping as an opportunity to cooperate.
Jiyong Zheng, Professor and Director at the Center for Korean Studies, Fudan University, and Secretary-General of Shanghai Institute of Korean Studies, began with talking about the uncertainty of the relationship between the U.S. and China that caused significant confusion and fear to North and South Korea. He argued that China’s Korean peninsula policy needs to be integrated into the international community while connecting with its Belt and Road Initiative. This is because, Dr. Zheng explained, a relaxed and benevolent external environment will be created in North Korea in order to receive foreign assistance and realize sustained economic development. He stated that the idea of “nuclear weapons for peace” would more likely be replaced by “development for peace” when foreign assistance gets involved. Dr. Zheng concluded that “a commonwealth of the destiny of Northeast Asia will then be established” when North Korea receives substantial benefits from economic development because North Korea will: (i) be glad to construct a commonwealth of interests with Northeast Asian countries; and (ii) integrate itself into this region through shared perception of history, security, and development.
