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Map of Asia |
Pacific Affairs: An International Review of Asia and the Pacific
China and the North Korean Crisis: Facing Test and Transition
By Ming Liu
Abstract
Over the past decade and a half, Taiwan has democratized. During this process of political change, progressive politics issues - social policy, environmental awareness, human rights - have become a part of the political mainstream in Taiwan. Simply put, democracy in Taiwan has deepened, moving from minimalist conceptions of procedural democracy to more substantive notions of social, economic and political citizenship. In this article, I explain the politics of democratic deepening in Taiwan. I offer four arguments. First, economic growth with equity inculcated a normative expectation among Taiwanese for continued socio-economic justice and for state intervention in the interests of the public good more generally. Second, the institutionalization of democratic competition created incentives for political entrepreneurs to latch onto, and thus legitimate, progressive politics issues. Third, the increasingly important role of societal actors during the 1990s and tightening electoral competition facilitated a continual 'spiral upwards' in progressive politics legislation. Finally, the construction of a civic national identity in Taiwan has reinforced democratic deepening. Chinese interests in the Korean Peninsula can be summarized by the general goal of guaranteeing the smooth development of China's economic modernization and the policy of opening to the international community, stability in the Korean peninsula, and maintenance of good relations with both Koreas simultaneously. North Korea is usually seen as a buffer-zone for China, but now many Chinese see this as an outdated concept. Over the past two years the refugee and nuclear crises have tested China's policies toward North Korea. The growing number of North Korea refugees coming into China truly surprised Beijing. Beijing adopted multiple means, including a massive search for defectors and repatriating them to North Korea, but also allowing asylum seekers in the embassies to go to Seoul via a third country. The last approach seems a successful compromise. The recent nuclear crisis gravely endangers Chinese interests. To rein in this crisis, Beijing took a more proactive role than ever before, leading to trilateral talks among Washington, Beijing and Pyongyang, and the six-party talks adding Japan, South Korea and Russia. For various reasons, China significantly cut down its economic assistance from 1994-1995, consequently limiting its political influence on North Korea. However, Beijing has turned this curtailed support into an incentive to lure North Korea in to participating in some regional economic cooperation programs, promoting gradual reform based on the survival while abandoning its military-first strategy.