China Seeks Stability After Kim Jong-il's Death

Chinese officials have already made significant efforts towards ensuring North Korean stability in the event of a leadership transition, experts say, long before Kim Jong-il's announced death December 19.

China was in a better position to influence North Korea starting late last year, following North Korea's controversial shelling of Yongpyeong Island. The event brought North and South Korea to the brink of war and left the former even more isolated than before in the region.