Page 81 - Trilateral Korea Japan U.S. Cooperation

9
escapees from the North. Lastly, China exploits the nuclear
weapons issue by pressuring the U.S. to make concessions
to the North in return for a resumption of negotiations.
China’s propaganda focuses on blaming the U.S. and its
military presence as a destabilizing force. It calls for security
guarantees for the North, the most important one being the
removal of U.S. troops.

However, while it seeks to maintain the status quo, it does
appear to be preparing for what comes next after war or after
regime collapse. While it might appear that China does not
desire a unified Korean Peninsula, it also likely does not want
to absorb the North or treat it as a rump state to maintain a
buffer zone. There is no love between the Korean and Chinese
people; therefore occupation, pacification, and absorption of
the North would be a security and financial burden Beijing
would not want to bear. It would benefit from a financially
weakened Korea having to deal with the challenges in the
North. China is making investments in exclusive rights to
North Korean mineral resources to include rare earth metals
10
where some of the world’s largest deposits remain. It will

9 Nicola Smith, “China complicit in bypassing UN sanctions to launder North Korean money, report suggests,”
The Telegraph, September 4, 2020
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/09/04/china-complicit-bypassing-un-sanctions-launder-North-
korean/ Press Release, “China must not forcibly repatriate North Korean escapees: UN experts,” UN High
Commissioner for Refugees, October 17, 2023, https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/10/china-
must-not-forcibly-repatriate-North-korean-escapees-un-experts
10 Elizabeth Shim, “Report: Chinese company has exclusive rights to North Korea mineral deposits,” United
Press International, October 5, 2016, https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/10/05/Report-
Chinese-company-has-exclusive-rights-to-North-Korea-mineral-deposits/9801475686795/. Hyemin Son,
“North Korea Trades Rare Earth Mine Rights to China for Investment in Solar Plants,” Radio Free Asia,
October 21, 2019, https://www.rfa.org/english/news/korea/nk-rare-earth-solar-10212019133544.html

80 Section I : North Korea-China Relations: How and Why Does Beijing Protect and Empower Pyongyang?