By Lee Seong-hyon
Chinese leader Jiang Zemin (term: 1993-2003) was aghast when his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-il told him, "I have to inspect northeastern China." Jiang said the word "inspect" (shicha) means making a checkup of one's own country. Since you're visiting another country, you're paying a "visit" (fangwen) to that region." Kim nonchalantly responded: "My father said northeastern China is ours."
This is one of the many intrigues in China-North Korea relations. Why did Kim Jong-il (Kim Jong-un's father) claim that China's northeastern region belongs to North Korea?
China's northeastern region refers to the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. It is commonly called "Dongbei."
To understand North Korea's sense of "ownership" of Dongbei, we should go back to the time of the late 1950s and the early 1960s when Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung (Kim Jong-un's grandfather) were friends. It was also a time of the Sino-Soviet split (1956―1966), the breakdown of political relations between Moscow and Beijing. China also had a hostile relationship with the U.S.
Against the backdrop, China needed the support of North Korea, a socialist country, more than ever. Mao told Kim, "If North Korea were to fight the U.S., then the Dongbei region would serve as North Korea's rear base. If China were to fight the Soviet Union, the Dongbei region would be the front base, and North Korea would be the rear base."
Mao told Kim, "You can manage the Dongbei region. It's yours." Kim was very pleased to hear that.
Interestingly, Mao often said during the Communist Party of China (CPC) meetings that the Dongbei region belonged to North Korea. Chinese premier Zhou Enlai also said so during his internal remarks in the CPC.
In 1963, Kim told Mao, "Then I have to make an inspection of the Dongbei region. Mao agreed. Mao also told Kim that Kim can order the Chinese military in Dongbei."
Mao also told Deng Xiaoping, his lieutenant at that time, to go to Dongbei to greet Kim. Deng said he was busy with other matters and dispatched another ranking CPC official. Kim toured around the major Dongbei cities of Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin. During Kim's inspections, senior Chinese military officials in the region all showed up.
Fitting to this incredible story, at that time in North Korea there was a special resort for military officials from Dongbei to come and rest. It corroborates the view that North Korea really treated Dongbei as "one of us" at that time.
Mao died and Hua Guofeng became the Chinese leader. Hua's attitude about Dongbei was starkly different from that of Mao. When he presided over a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPC, he made two comments regarding North Korea: First, do not mention Dongbei with the North Koreans. Second, If Kim Il-sung says his son, Kim Jong-il, will become his successor, do not respond or make any comments.
During the Chinese internal turmoil of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), there was little interaction between North Korea and China. When the Cultural Revolution was over, North Korean officials often asked their Chinese counterparts: "Why did you not notify us of the changes in the military personnel in Dongbei?" This greatly embarrassed the Chinese. They then began to worry about meetings with the North Koreans for fear of bringing up the matter.
Later, Deng Xiaoping became the Chinese leader. On North Korea, Deng instructed two things. One, China will accept Kim Jong-il as North Korea's successor. Two, [but still] do not bring up the Dongbei issue.
This intriguing episode in the Sino-North Korea relations was conveyed by a renowned Chinese historian who had studied the diplomatic documents of that time. It's not clear whether the current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un brought up the Dongbei issue during his meetings with Xi Jinping. Kim could say he heard of it from his father, who heard of it from his father, who heard it from Mao Zedong.
It is also debatable whether Mao really meant that Dongbei belonged to North Korea. Probably not. Mao was famous for his linguistic use of irony, contradiction, and overstatement. It may, however, reflect Mao's socialism bloc worldview. Mao believed that he was in charge of socialism in Asia. And Mao was good at giving the appearance of empowering other Communist leaders such as Kim Il-sung in North Korea or Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam for that matter.
Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is the director, Center for Chinese Studies; and also the director, Department of Unification Strategy at Sejong Institute.
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This is one of the many intrigues in China-North Korea relations. Why did Kim Jong-il (Kim Jong-un's father) claim that China's northeastern region belongs to North Korea?
China's northeastern region refers to the three provinces of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. It is commonly called "Dongbei."
To understand North Korea's sense of "ownership" of Dongbei, we should go back to the time of the late 1950s and the early 1960s when Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung (Kim Jong-un's grandfather) were friends. It was also a time of the Sino-Soviet split (1956―1966), the breakdown of political relations between Moscow and Beijing. China also had a hostile relationship with the U.S.
Against the backdrop, China needed the support of North Korea, a socialist country, more than ever. Mao told Kim, "If North Korea were to fight the U.S., then the Dongbei region would serve as North Korea's rear base. If China were to fight the Soviet Union, the Dongbei region would be the front base, and North Korea would be the rear base."
Mao told Kim, "You can manage the Dongbei region. It's yours." Kim was very pleased to hear that.
Interestingly, Mao often said during the Communist Party of China (CPC) meetings that the Dongbei region belonged to North Korea. Chinese premier Zhou Enlai also said so during his internal remarks in the CPC.
In 1963, Kim told Mao, "Then I have to make an inspection of the Dongbei region. Mao agreed. Mao also told Kim that Kim can order the Chinese military in Dongbei."
Mao also told Deng Xiaoping, his lieutenant at that time, to go to Dongbei to greet Kim. Deng said he was busy with other matters and dispatched another ranking CPC official. Kim toured around the major Dongbei cities of Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin. During Kim's inspections, senior Chinese military officials in the region all showed up.
Fitting to this incredible story, at that time in North Korea there was a special resort for military officials from Dongbei to come and rest. It corroborates the view that North Korea really treated Dongbei as "one of us" at that time.
Mao died and Hua Guofeng became the Chinese leader. Hua's attitude about Dongbei was starkly different from that of Mao. When he presided over a meeting of the Central Committee of the CPC, he made two comments regarding North Korea: First, do not mention Dongbei with the North Koreans. Second, If Kim Il-sung says his son, Kim Jong-il, will become his successor, do not respond or make any comments.
During the Chinese internal turmoil of the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), there was little interaction between North Korea and China. When the Cultural Revolution was over, North Korean officials often asked their Chinese counterparts: "Why did you not notify us of the changes in the military personnel in Dongbei?" This greatly embarrassed the Chinese. They then began to worry about meetings with the North Koreans for fear of bringing up the matter.
Later, Deng Xiaoping became the Chinese leader. On North Korea, Deng instructed two things. One, China will accept Kim Jong-il as North Korea's successor. Two, [but still] do not bring up the Dongbei issue.
This intriguing episode in the Sino-North Korea relations was conveyed by a renowned Chinese historian who had studied the diplomatic documents of that time. It's not clear whether the current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un brought up the Dongbei issue during his meetings with Xi Jinping. Kim could say he heard of it from his father, who heard of it from his father, who heard it from Mao Zedong.
It is also debatable whether Mao really meant that Dongbei belonged to North Korea. Probably not. Mao was famous for his linguistic use of irony, contradiction, and overstatement. It may, however, reflect Mao's socialism bloc worldview. Mao believed that he was in charge of socialism in Asia. And Mao was good at giving the appearance of empowering other Communist leaders such as Kim Il-sung in North Korea or Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam for that matter.
Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is the director, Center for Chinese Studies; and also the director, Department of Unification Strategy at Sejong Institute.
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