Shifting Tides: Understanding China's Foreign Policy during the Third North Korean Nuclear Crisis

This thesis researches the rationale behind China’s decision in 2013 to co-draft United Nations Security Council Resolution 2094 with the UN right after North Korea performed its third nuclear test, here known as the Third Nuclear Crisis. The cooperation between the US and China was remarkable, because such conjunction between the two countries on resolution-drafting on the North Korean nuclear issue was unprecedented. To answer this question, I analysed China’s position within the global sphere from a constructivist perspective, adding the elements ‘normativity’ and ‘ethics’ by applying constitutive theory. I analysed China’s interests, the effect of the Six Party Talks, and the role of Chinese President Xi Jinping. Lastly, I determined whether China’s foreign policy can be considered as ‘normative’. I established that China’s interests have not altered much since the Second Nuclear Crisis, making ‘interests’ a weak indicator for explaining China’s decision-making. The failure of the Six Party Talks is most probably not the direct reason for China’s decision to co-draft, as the last Talk took place in 2009. However, the failure itself did give the Chinese food for thought on new strategies on how to cope with North Korea. A notable change before and after North Korea’s nuclear test is the change of leadership. A new president alone does not present enough evidence to conclude that Xi Jinping is responsible for China’s cooperation with the US. However, the fact that he has enabled sole decision making via reforms, making it possible for Xi to make decisions on ‘deadlock’ issues such as the North Korean Nuclear Crisis, is indeed of interest. In theory, this means that Xi Jinping could have made the deliberate decision to co-draft Resolution 2094. In addition, China’s foreign policy is not normative pur sang, but rather positioned between ‘imperialist’ and ‘status quo’. I conclude that China’s decision to co-draft United Nations Security Council Resolution 2094 was driven by a combination of China’s need to establish itself as a bigger and responsible player in order to achieve continued economic growth and more importantly, a new ‘reform-hungry’ leader who managed to ‘simplify’ decision making on pressing issues, making himself truly paramount among ‘equals’.