Special Economic Zones

China’s Ground Game in Dandong and North Korea

By | January 27, 2024

As Sino-North Korean bilateral relations intensify, Adam Cathcart looks at China’s ground game in Pyongyang and Dandong, with a focus on business.

Law, Order, and Heroin in Dandong

By | May 20, 2019

The border city of Dandong maintains an important position for the Chinese Communist Party in its relations with the Kim Jong-un regime. Adam Cathcart investigates the latest sources.

North Korean Markets and the High Seas: A Review of Justin Hastings’ “A Most Enterprising Country”

By | February 25, 2019

Is North Korea ready to radically expand its interactions with the international trading system? According to one scholar, it already has.

Buckling Down in Dandong

By | May 14, 2017

As Xi Jinping waxes poetic at the “One Belt, One Road” summit in Beijing, we investigate messy realities in the the Chinese border city that would be the ideal hub for any North Korean participation.

South Korea Clings on to Fear of Kaesong Industrial Complex Future

By | March 02, 2017

A year after it closed, South Korea is still eyeing the Kaesong Industrial Complex. The issues are not only financial, but also emotional. Christopher Green translates a recent report about North Korea allegedly trying to attract Chinese businesses into the manufacturing zone.