China’s Leadership Transition and Policy Outlook for the Korean Peninsula

At the 18^th Party Congress, Xi Jinping was be elevated to the top post of the Chinese Communist Party. During the Xi Jinping era, China is expected to maintain its focus on economic growth but, based on her strengthened economic and military power, likely assume an increasingly confrontational stance against the U.S. over East Asia’s regional order. The intensified competition between China and the U.S. over the restructuring of the regional order, combined with the ongoing territorial disputes, will negatively affect peace and stability in the region. Hence, there is a pressing need to assess the future direction of South Korea’s diplomacy through an in-depth discussion of many pending issues including the U.S. policy towards the Korean Peninsula, North Korea-China relations and North-South relations, Sino-Korean relations, etc. Therefore, the Asiatic Research Institute of Korea University invites a group of experts on East Asia and the Korean peninsula, from both home and abroad, to discuss and analyze China’s transformation after the advent of the Xi Jinping era, its implications on the Korean Peninsula, and the policy directions of South Korea.

Organizer: Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University

Sponsor: Ministry of Unification

Date: December 3, 2012 (Monday), 1-6 p.m.

Venue: Grand Conference Room, Asiatic Research Institute, Korea University

Language: Korean-Chinese Simultaneous Interpretation

Opening Ceremony (13:00-13:10):

Opening Address: Nae-Young Lee (Director, Asiatic Research Institute)

Session I (13:10-15:10): The Assessment of the Hu Jintao Era and the Outlook on the Xi Jinping Era

Chairperson: Icksoo Kim (Professor, Korea University)

Presentation:

- The Rise of Xi Jinping and Outlook for Political Reform and Change (Jung-nam Lee, Korea University)

- The Advent of the Xi Jinping Era and Outlook for China’s Economic Reform and Policies (Pyeong-seob Yang, Korea Institute for International Economic Policy)

- The Advent of the Xi Jinping Era and A Thought on China’s Foreign Strategies (Wang Fan, China Foreign Affairs University)

Discussants:

Jae Cheol Kim (Catholic University), Huang Pidong (Korea University), Woo-sun Choi (Korea National Diplomatic Academy), Dong-jun Lee (Korea University)

Coffee Break (15:10-15:20)

Session Ⅱ (15:20-18:00) The Advent of the Xi Jinping Era, the Change of the Security Environment on the Korean Peninsula and Policy Responses

Chairperson: Nae-Young Lee (Director, Asiatic Research Institute)

Presentation:

- A Changing Order in East Asia and Sino-American Relations: The Return of the United States to East Asia and China’s Responses                               (Men Honghua, China Central Party School)

- The U.S. Presidential Election Outcome and Its Implications on the Korean Peninsula and East Asia (T.J. Pempel, University of California. Berkeley)

- The Xi Jinping Leadership’s Policy towards the Korean Peninsula and Outlook for the North Korea-China Relations (Myeong-hae Choi, Samsung Economic Research Institute)

- Sino-American Relations and the Direction of South Korea’s Policies toward China (Jaewoo Choo, Kyung Hee University)

Discussants:

Shin-Wha Lee (Korea University), Dong-Ryul Lee (Dongduk Women’s University), Hankwon Kim (Asan Institute for Policy Studies), Jae-kwan Kim(Chonnam National University)