As North Korea’s relationships with China, South Korea, and the U.S. improve and the political and economic tectonics of Northeast Asia shift toward integration, a new North Korea strategy appears to be emerging in Beijing.

Now that China’s objectives of cooling North Korea’s nuclear weapons development and achieving dialogue between North Korea and the region’s players are complete, it aims to maintain stability in its relationship with North Korea and the region as a whole. China is undertaking a multifaceted initiative to deepen relations between Chinese and North Korean civil society while