Tributary State and Transnationalism
China played a central role in geopolitical history of Northeast Asia. Beijing’s policy to keep North Korea out of Western control is traditional. The two countries had been closely connected since Korea became independent during the disunity of the third century, and China had been heavily involved in Korea for two millennia. Korea had long been most faithful to the Chinese in the tribute system, and China realized that the time had come to uphold its agreement. In 1592, the Ming emperor intervened promptly by sending Chinese forces to stop a foreign invasion in the Imjin War. In 1894, to answer the call of the Korean king, the Qing emperor dispatched troops to Korea in the Sino-Japanese War.