• Home
  • About RSIS
    • Introduction
    • Building the Foundations
    • Welcome Message
    • Board of Governors
    • Staff Profiles
      • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
      • Dean’s Office
      • Management
      • Distinguished Fellows
      • Faculty and Research
      • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
      • Visiting Fellows
      • Adjunct Fellows
      • Administrative Staff
    • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
    • RSIS Endowment Fund
    • Endowed Professorships
    • Career Opportunities
    • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
    • Research Centres
      • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
      • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
      • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
      • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
      • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
    • Research Programmes
      • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
      • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
    • Future Issues and Technology Cluster
    • [email protected] Newsletter
    • Other Research
      • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
    • Graduate Programmes Office
    • Overview
    • MSc (Asian Studies)
    • MSc (International Political Economy)
    • MSc (International Relations)
    • MSc (Strategic Studies)
    • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
    • PhD Programme
    • Exchange Partners and Programmes
    • How to Apply
    • Financial Assistance
    • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
    • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
    • Alumni
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
    • International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
    • SRP Executive Programme
    • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
    • RSIS Publications
      • Annual Reviews
      • Books
      • Bulletins and Newsletters
      • Commentaries
      • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
      • Commemorative / Event Reports
      • IDSS Paper
      • Interreligious Relations
      • Monographs
      • NTS Insight
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • RSIS Publications for the Year
    • Glossary of Abbreviations
    • External Publications
      • Authored Books
      • Journal Articles
      • Edited Books
      • Chapters in Edited Books
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • Op-Eds
      • External Publications for the Year
    • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
    • Great Powers
    • Sustainable Security
    • Other Resource Pages
    • Media Highlights
    • News Releases
    • Speeches
    • Vidcast Channel
    • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsis.sg
Linkedin
instagram instagram rsis.sg
RSS
  • Home
  • About RSIS
      • Introduction
      • Building the Foundations
      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
      • Staff Profiles
        • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
        • Dean’s Office
        • Management
        • Distinguished Fellows
        • Faculty and Research
        • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
        • Visiting Fellows
        • Adjunct Fellows
        • Administrative Staff
      • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
      • RSIS Endowment Fund
      • Endowed Professorships
      • Career Opportunities
      • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
      • Research Centres
        • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
        • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
        • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      • Research Programmes
        • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      • Future Issues and Technology Cluster
      • [email protected] Newsletter
      • Other Research
        • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP) (2017-2020)
  • Graduate Education
      • Graduate Programmes Office
      • Overview
      • MSc (Asian Studies)
      • MSc (International Political Economy)
      • MSc (International Relations)
      • MSc (Strategic Studies)
      • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
      • PhD Programme
      • Exchange Partners and Programmes
      • How to Apply
      • Financial Assistance
      • Meet the Admissions Team: Information Sessions and other events
      • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
      • Alumni
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
      • International Strategy Forum-Asia (ISF-Asia)
      • SRP Executive Programme
      • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
      • RSIS Publications
        • Annual Reviews
        • Books
        • Bulletins and Newsletters
        • Commentaries
        • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
        • Commemorative / Event Reports
        • IDSS Paper
        • Interreligious Relations
        • Monographs
        • NTS Insight
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • RSIS Publications for the Year
      • Glossary of Abbreviations
      • External Publications
        • Authored Books
        • Journal Articles
        • Edited Books
        • Chapters in Edited Books
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • Op-Eds
        • External Publications for the Year
      • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
      • Great Powers
      • Sustainable Security
      • Other Resource Pages
      • Media Highlights
      • News Releases
      • Speeches
      • Vidcast Channel
      • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
  • instagram instagram rsis.sg
Connect

Getting to RSIS

Map

Address

Nanyang Technological University
Block S4, Level B3,
50 Nanyang Avenue,
Singapore 639798

View location on Google maps Click here for directions to RSIS

Get in Touch

    Connect with Us

      rsis.ntu
      rsis_ntu
      rsisntu
    RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsisvideocast
      school/rsis-ntu
    instagram instagram rsis.sg
      RSS
    Subscribe to RSIS Publications
    Subscribe to RSIS Events

    RSIS Intranet

    S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
    Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University

    Skip to content

     
    • RSIS
    • Publication
    • RSIS Publications
    • Decoding Beijing’s Perception of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance
    • Annual Reviews
    • Books
    • Bulletins and Newsletters
    • Commentaries
    • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
    • Commemorative / Event Reports
    • IDSS Paper
    • Interreligious Relations
    • Monographs
    • NTS Insight
    • Policy Reports
    • Working Papers
    • RSIS Publications for the Year

    Decoding Beijing’s Perception of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance
    Jae Ho Chung

    14 July 2014

    download pdf

    Executive Summary

    This policy brief analyses an ideational trajectory in which China’s views of the Korean–American alliance evolved during the last 60 years. It first surveys China’s general stance on alliances and alliance-making. The report then traces the evolutionary path of Chinese perceptions in the following four periods: (i) the Cold War era (1950s–1960s); (ii) transformative years (early 1970s–mid-1990s); (iii) the period of a strained alliance (late 1990s–late 2000s); and (iv) an era of great reversal (late 2000s–present). Principally, this brief suggests that China’s view of the Korean–American alliance was intense antagonism during the Cold War era, although it was significantly watered down during the transformative years of Sino–South Korean rapprochement. With the normalisation of relations between Beijing and Seoul in 1992 and a decade of progressive rule (1998–2007) in South Korea, China’s view encompassed some wishful thinking about a gradually diluted alliance. The strong comeback of the conservatives in South Korean politics since 2008, however, shattered such optimism and re-awoke Beijing to some cold realities of geopolitics. China’s view of the Korea–American alliance may grow more negative in tandem with U.S.–China relations, irrespective of the official rhetoric of sovereignty regarding alliances and alliance-making.

    About the Author

    Dr Jae Ho CHUNG is a professor of international relations and Director of the Program on US-China Relations at Seoul National University, Korea. Professor Chung is the author or editor of fifteen books, including Between Ally and Partner: Korea-China Relations and the United States (Columbia University Press, 2007), Central Control and Local Discretion in China (Oxford University Press, 2000), Charting China’s Future (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), and China’s Crisis Management (Routledge, 2011). Professor Chung has served on the editorial committees of China Quarterly, Pacific Affairs, East Asia, Issues and Studies, Politics, Asian Perspective, China Perspectives, and China: an International Journal. Professor Chung is the founding coordinator of the Asian Network for the Study of Local China (ANSLoC: http://www.ansloc.net ). Professor Chung is also a recipient of Seoul National University’s Best Researcher Award in 2009 and of Korean Association for International Studies’ Best Book Award in 2012.

    Categories: Policy Reports / Country and Region Studies / East Asia and Asia Pacific

    Last updated on 26/11/2014

    Executive Summary

    This policy brief analyses an ideational trajectory in which China’s views of the Korean–American alliance evolved during the last 60 years. It first surveys China’s general stance on alliances and alliance-making. The report then traces the evolutionary path of Chinese perceptions in the following four periods: (i) the Cold War era (1950s–1960s); (ii) transformative years (early 1970s–mid-1990s); (iii) the period of a strained alliance (late 1990s–late 2000s); and (iv) an era of great reversal (late 2000s–present). Principally, this brief suggests that China’s view of the Korean–American alliance was intense antagonism during the Cold War era, although it was significantly watered down during the transformative years of Sino–South Korean rapprochement. With the normalisation of relations between Beijing and Seoul in 1992 and a decade of progressive rule (1998–2007) in South Korea, China’s view encompassed some wishful thinking about a gradually diluted alliance. The strong comeback of the conservatives in South Korean politics since 2008, however, shattered such optimism and re-awoke Beijing to some cold realities of geopolitics. China’s view of the Korea–American alliance may grow more negative in tandem with U.S.–China relations, irrespective of the official rhetoric of sovereignty regarding alliances and alliance-making.

    About the Author

    Dr Jae Ho CHUNG is a professor of international relations and Director of the Program on US-China Relations at Seoul National University, Korea. Professor Chung is the author or editor of fifteen books, including Between Ally and Partner: Korea-China Relations and the United States (Columbia University Press, 2007), Central Control and Local Discretion in China (Oxford University Press, 2000), Charting China’s Future (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006), and China’s Crisis Management (Routledge, 2011). Professor Chung has served on the editorial committees of China Quarterly, Pacific Affairs, East Asia, Issues and Studies, Politics, Asian Perspective, China Perspectives, and China: an International Journal. Professor Chung is the founding coordinator of the Asian Network for the Study of Local China (ANSLoC: http://www.ansloc.net ). Professor Chung is also a recipient of Seoul National University’s Best Researcher Award in 2009 and of Korean Association for International Studies’ Best Book Award in 2012.

    Categories: Policy Reports / Country and Region Studies

    Last updated on 26/11/2014

    Back to top

    Terms of Use | Privacy Statement
    Copyright © S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. All rights reserved.
    This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to the use of cookies on your device as described in our privacy policy. Learn more
    OK
    Latest Book
    Decoding Beijing’s Perception of the U.S.-South Korea Alliance

    Executive Summary

    This policy brief analyses an ideational trajectory in which China's views of the Korean–American alliance evolved during the last 60 years. I ...
    more info