This lecture will focus on the new book from Zhihua Shen and Yafeng Xia, "A
Misunderstood Friendship: Mao Zedong, Kim Il-sung, and Sino-North Korean Relations," published by
Columbia University Press.
In the work, the authors note that today, China is widely known as North Korea's only ally on the world
stage. Historically, both countries have advertised the relationship as being one of special closeness,
based on shared political ideals and regional goals. Yet, as China has risen in global standing, its current
position in relation to North Korea seems to be changing into a reluctant one, affected by global
perceptions of North Korea, calls for Chinese global and regional leadership, and increased economic and
political connections between China and other world powers like the United States. The authors contend
that the history of the North Korea-China relationship is not so simply understood. Relying on newly
declassified Chinese government documents and in-depth interviews with former North Korean and
Chinese diplomats, this book reveals that the complexity, tension, and global sensitivities that currently
plague the alliance between the two countries have in fact been a feature of the relationship from the beginning. The authors note that China has always viewed the relationship as one of convenience, and
further, that going forward the relationship will not play as large of a factor in Chinese foreign policy
decisions as some experts or foreign policy officials in the region may believe. An in-depth study drawing
on archival access, this book covers new ground in the history of Cold War Asia.
