Actually Mainland China’s economic system has a far closer resemblance to South Korea’s capitalism as opposed to NK’s twisted version of Marxist-Leninism with family dynastic rule thrown in for good measure.
You’re correct the PRC doesn’t want reunification…but that’s mainly due to the fact they want to maintain NK as a buffer state to prevent US military forces from being right on their border. That was the reason why they massively intervened against the US/UN forces after they reached the Chinese/Korean border during the Korean War.
From the perspective of the CPC leadership, having the US military right on their border is sufficient enough reason to desire to maintain a buffer state to ensure their version of national security.
They are also trying to cultivate closer diplomatic ties with South Korea as they already have similar economic interests and so they can hopefully(pipe dream) convince them to encourage the US to withdraw its military forces from the Korean peninsula in case NK collapses and reunification occurs.
To flee the economic deprivation and possible internal chaos after the regime collapse and because going to China is far easier than trying to go through one of the most heavily fortified borders in the world at the 38th parallel. NK refugees are already using the Sino-NK border to flee NK because it’s an easier path to get to S Korea or just to leave NK period.
And no, South Korea is unlikely to open up the border to allow for a massive flood of refugees they’d be hardpressed to handle considering the depth of economic deprivation, security risks, etc.
It depends on what’s you mean collapse. If collapse means NK dictators lose control and NK people took over the region then SK and the world will bring foods and necessary aids to help NK people to rebuild their life. NK would be happy to stay where they are.
If NK collapses (politically and economically), I actually think both China and SK are not willing to open their border. This would make it another refugee crisis like we have had in Syria.
You are right about China will not open the border if there is a crisis in NK. SK may not want to open the border but they will not shoot on people who cross the border because after all they are the same people.
The South Koreans won’t have to shoot as the border is already heavily fortified and closed off except a relatively few border crossings which has been guarded and will possibly be controlled by South Korean troops to minimize issues of handling a massive influx of refugees and the possible internal security risk a few may pose.
In contrast, the Sino-NK border is nowhere near as fortified as the DMZ at the 38th parallel and there are many more crossing points which cannot be guarded and controlled without a much greater infusion of military/border guard personnel which could be prohibitive even for the Mainland Chinese.
Especially considering they have thousands of miles of borders and coastline to guard with mostly unfriendly or unstable societies.
I’m sure that China has contingency plans to deal with a NK collapse.
In the event of a collapse of the North Korean regime (depending on what “collapse” means), I think some analysts think that China’s moves are pretty clear - 1) raise holy hell to prevent a reunification 2) find a group of North Korean military leaders that they can control and support their takeover of the country, turning NK into a vassal state 3) supply arms and some funds to the new leadership for its personal enrichment. There’s no need for them to write a big check for humanitarian support of the populace since all they need to do is to allow the new NK leadership to repress the populace as much as they need to in order to maintain control.
This is probably the cheapest way to prevent a wave of refugees from crossing over into China and to obtain control of NK without having to foot the bill or have official responsibility for the country. I think it’s unknown whether or not they’ll allow a humanitarian crisis to erupt on the South Korean border. The threat of one could be a useful tool. Depends on what China thinks serves its interest best.
I haven’t read of an effective response that the US / South Korea has to this.
Of course, China looks like it’s starting to have a few problems of its own …
do you really think the south koreans and US will shut down that border and leave people on the other side to starve that are trying to reach the south in that situation?
I have a hard time believing that.
Maybe the US and the South have to advance into North Korea to set up camps? And then start dumping food in?
“The bombing was long, leisurely and merciless, even by the assessment of America’s own leaders. “Over a period of three years or so, we killed off — what — 20 percent of the population,” Air Force Gen. Curtis LeMay, head of the Strategic Air Command during the Korean War, told the Office of Air Force History in 1984. Dean Rusk, a supporter of the war and later secretary of state, said the United States bombed “everything that moved in North Korea, every brick standing on top of another.” After running low on urban targets, U.S. bombers destroyed hydroelectric and irrigation dams in the later stages of the war, flooding farmland and destroying crops.”
Did we also do a lot of carpet bombing in Vietnam War?
In Iraq’s war, we might target less on civilians, as a comparison. Maybe the advancement of the war technology enables us to conduct the war in a more humane way.