By Lee Seong-hyon
Trump has sent a letter to Kim Jong-un, indicating his willingness to aid North Korea in battling the coronavirus. If Kim were to accept the offer, that would make China lose face, North Korea's most intimate ally.
But how close are North Korea and China under Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping? This is both a policy question, and an academic inquiry. Without resorting to intelligence, we can probe the question by carefully perusing through open source documents.
There is a view that North Korea and China have now entered the "second blood-alliance period," a reference to the historical ties between Kim Il-sung and Mao Zedong that underscore the significance of the renewed relationship, now under Kim Jr. and Xi.
There are three pieces of evidence that support this theory. We can, for instance, compare the official words used between North Korea and China, in their characterization of their relationship during the Cold War and the present day.
First, the term "blood alliance." That's the Korean translation of the original Chinese expression "sealed in blood" (xian xue ning cheng). At the summit banquet in March 2018, in Beijing, Xi characterized the two socialist countries' relationship as "sealed in blood."
It was Xi's first meeting with Kim. And Xi cut the chase and went straight to use the iconic vocabulary from the Cold War era.
Interestingly, the Chinese foreign ministry website records omit Xi's use of the expression. However, one can discover it from North Korea's state-run KCNA reports of the summit that Xi, indeed, used the term.
Naturally, it is curious to know why the Chinese side chose not to include the important word from Xi's remarks, while the North Korean side duly publicized it.
At least, we can see that Chinese officials use the term publicly. For instance, Li Jinjun, the Chinese ambassador to North Korea, used the term in October 2016 at a ceremony marking the 66th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in the Korean War. Li said that the friendship between China and North Korea "is our common precious fortune, which was 'sealed in blood' by the sacrifice of soldiers and civilians of the two nations."
North Koreans in Pyongyang also used this expression as they welcomed Xi during his visit there in June 2019.
Perhaps, Chinese thought that the quintessential term "sealed in blood" by China's top leader could invite controversy.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Xi also characterized China's relationship with North Korea as "the one and only relationship in the world." In response, Kim said that it was his noble duty to keep the friendship between North Korea and China "as precious as life" and "from generation to generation."
Second, the term "lips and teeth." During their second meeting in the Chinese port city of Dalian, Xi said that China and North Korea were a community of "shared destiny" and "a relationship of lips and teeth." Xi continued, "No matter how the situation flows, this is the firm line by the parties and the governments of the two nations. It is also the only correct choice."
A major South Korean media outlet, Chosun Ilbo, immediately raised the alarm, pointing out that Xi had used "lips and teeth," a signature Cold War expression, to describe the China-North Korea relationship for the first time since Kim took power in late 2011.
Third, the term "the same command camp." During his third meeting with Xi in Beijing, June, 2018, Kim remarked that North Korea and China supported each other "like a family." Kim also stated that North Korea would "closely cooperate" with China in the "same command camp" (han chammobu) to safeguard socialism and herald a new future for the Korean Peninsula.
During the Korean War, when the battle between the United States and China became fierce, China's military formed a combined forces command ("Jojung yonhap saryongbu" in Korean) with the North Korean army to enhance combat coordination and efficiency against the United States and its allied forces. Kim resurrected the Cold War vocabulary from his grandfather's era.
It is too early to speculate what all this means in the "evolution" of the Sino-North Korean relationship. We can, at least, see that three iconic vocabularies that were used during the Cold War to signify the intimate relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing are back in the market.
Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is director, the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute.
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But how close are North Korea and China under Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping? This is both a policy question, and an academic inquiry. Without resorting to intelligence, we can probe the question by carefully perusing through open source documents.
There is a view that North Korea and China have now entered the "second blood-alliance period," a reference to the historical ties between Kim Il-sung and Mao Zedong that underscore the significance of the renewed relationship, now under Kim Jr. and Xi.
There are three pieces of evidence that support this theory. We can, for instance, compare the official words used between North Korea and China, in their characterization of their relationship during the Cold War and the present day.
First, the term "blood alliance." That's the Korean translation of the original Chinese expression "sealed in blood" (xian xue ning cheng). At the summit banquet in March 2018, in Beijing, Xi characterized the two socialist countries' relationship as "sealed in blood."
It was Xi's first meeting with Kim. And Xi cut the chase and went straight to use the iconic vocabulary from the Cold War era.
Interestingly, the Chinese foreign ministry website records omit Xi's use of the expression. However, one can discover it from North Korea's state-run KCNA reports of the summit that Xi, indeed, used the term.
Naturally, it is curious to know why the Chinese side chose not to include the important word from Xi's remarks, while the North Korean side duly publicized it.
At least, we can see that Chinese officials use the term publicly. For instance, Li Jinjun, the Chinese ambassador to North Korea, used the term in October 2016 at a ceremony marking the 66th anniversary of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's participation in the Korean War. Li said that the friendship between China and North Korea "is our common precious fortune, which was 'sealed in blood' by the sacrifice of soldiers and civilians of the two nations."
North Koreans in Pyongyang also used this expression as they welcomed Xi during his visit there in June 2019.
Perhaps, Chinese thought that the quintessential term "sealed in blood" by China's top leader could invite controversy.
According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Xi also characterized China's relationship with North Korea as "the one and only relationship in the world." In response, Kim said that it was his noble duty to keep the friendship between North Korea and China "as precious as life" and "from generation to generation."
Second, the term "lips and teeth." During their second meeting in the Chinese port city of Dalian, Xi said that China and North Korea were a community of "shared destiny" and "a relationship of lips and teeth." Xi continued, "No matter how the situation flows, this is the firm line by the parties and the governments of the two nations. It is also the only correct choice."
A major South Korean media outlet, Chosun Ilbo, immediately raised the alarm, pointing out that Xi had used "lips and teeth," a signature Cold War expression, to describe the China-North Korea relationship for the first time since Kim took power in late 2011.
Third, the term "the same command camp." During his third meeting with Xi in Beijing, June, 2018, Kim remarked that North Korea and China supported each other "like a family." Kim also stated that North Korea would "closely cooperate" with China in the "same command camp" (han chammobu) to safeguard socialism and herald a new future for the Korean Peninsula.
During the Korean War, when the battle between the United States and China became fierce, China's military formed a combined forces command ("Jojung yonhap saryongbu" in Korean) with the North Korean army to enhance combat coordination and efficiency against the United States and its allied forces. Kim resurrected the Cold War vocabulary from his grandfather's era.
It is too early to speculate what all this means in the "evolution" of the Sino-North Korean relationship. We can, at least, see that three iconic vocabularies that were used during the Cold War to signify the intimate relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing are back in the market.
Lee Seong-hyon (sunnybbsfs@gmail.com), Ph.D., is director, the Center for Chinese Studies at the Sejong Institute.
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