Session: Session 4
Date/Time: April 27, 2016 / 13:30-15:00

Moderator:
Jane Perlez, The New York Times

Speakers:
Cheng Xiaohe, Renmin University of China
Bonnie Glaser, Center for Strategic and Int’l Studies
Shin Jung-seung, Dongseo University
Wang Dong, Peking University

Panel Description
President Park Geun Hye’s attendance at the 2015 Victory Day military parade in Beijing was observed as a shift in China’s policy towards the two Koreas. The press has consistently touted the ‘special relationship’ of Presidents Park and Xi amid burgeoning trade and cultural exchanges between South Korea and China. In contrast, the Chinese leader has yet to even meet the North’s young ruler. In face of Pyongyang’s repeated nuclear tests, China has shown increasing willingness to side with the international community in support of sanctions and denuclearization. However, does China’s warming to the South actually represent a fundamental change in policy or merely a strategic opportunity to bolster its clout in the region?