China as a Mediator in North Korea: Facilitating Dialogues or Mediating Conflicts?
Niklas Swanström
China has arguably emerged as a major power militarily, politically, and economically, extending its influence globally and within its immediate region. This influence has been increasingly asserted, as seen in areas like Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other sensitive zones worldwide. Despite this great power status, China’s role as a mediator and facilitator in international conflicts, especially through its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), remains less understood.
In this chapter on China and Conflict Mediation, Niklas Swanström analyzes China’s evolution in its approach to conflict facilitation and mediation in North Korea and the Korean Peninsula more broadly. Throughout the analysis, Swanström examines the successes and challenges, influenced by geopolitics, that Beijing has faced in its focus on process building in facilitation and mediation efforts on the peninsula.
Read this chapter by Niklas Swanström at the Stimson here.
