Analysis, Commentary

The Strategic Value of China to Korea

February 28, 2026, by

CSIS Korea Chair is producing a three-part series on examining the Strategic Value of China to Korea, why traditional equities no longer applies, and Korea’s capabilities to fight back against China’s economic coercion.

Part 1: Likelihood of China’s Economic Coercion

In the first of a three-part CSIS Korea Chair series on Reassessing China’s Strategic Value to Korea, Victor Cha looks at the likelihood of China’s economic coercion against Korea.


Part 2: How the Strategic Value of China to Korea Has Changed 

In the second of a three-part CSIS Korea Chair series on Reassessing China’s Strategic Value to Korea, Victor Cha looks at how the strategic value of China has changed and why Korea may have already made a choice in the U.S.-China competition.



Victor Cha is President of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.