How China gains from a divided Korea

An intriguing report deserves wider attention. It states that "China's willingness... to chair and manage the Six Party Talks process was accepted with optimism by many.... Reality has however begun to come to the forefront." China's primary interest is not in denuclearizing North Korea but maintaining regional stability. Moreover, economic sanctions against the DPRK have benefited China. A "China-launched investment and trade offensive" seems aimed at creating a "twenty-first century tributary province" resembling China's control over Korea 150 years ago. The report includes research done in China on the historical evidence that China uses to claim that large parts of both Koreas were once theirs. In fact, China is now dependent on DPRK business (mostly mining) to sustain the fragile economy of its northeastern provinces. China has too much to lose and under the guise of foster­ing regional stability "may attempt to manage, if not oppose, the process of Korean Peninsula unification." A pdf of the report is free; just search for the title.

http://www.ncnk.org/resources/publications/China-Koreas-Unification-Lugar-Dec-2012.pdf