China Can Prod North Korea into Nuclear Disarmament

Lyle J. Goldstein

Security, Asia

Peaceful denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula requires an "umbrella strategy."

The coastal metropolis of Dalian in China’s Liaoning Province is an interesting vantage point to appraise the major strategic changes under way in Northeast Asia. The bustling shops and sparkling malls belie the reputation of a sleepy northeastern region choking on unreformed state owned enterprises. From various sites downtown, one can behold the striking sight of two Chinese aircraft carriers side by side. A couple of piers over, several large destroyers are being fitted out, including the vaunted Type 055, which some describe as the Dreadnought of our contemporary world. The rather new city subway system is impressive and an efficient light rail line snakes south of the city past numerous, large scale high-tech campuses to the historic port of Lushun [旅顺港口]—once known as Port Arthur. The blood-soaked hills around that famous anchorage at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, formed the epicenter of a clash of civilizations in 1904–05 when Japan and Russia struggled for mastery of the region, including on the Korean Peninsula. A stark reminder of changing times is that the small harbor at Lushun is now full to bursting with mostly new Chinese frigates and submarines.