Border Checkpoints as a Chinese Instrument for Strengthening Economic and Political Cooperation with North Korea. Part 1

Abstract

The article examines China's activity in the development of
checkpoints with the DPRK in 2001–2020, which is correlated
with a gradual growth in the volume of freight traffic between
countries in the period under study and an increase in China's
share in North Korea's foreign trade. Mainly based on Chinese
sources, the article provides an overview of the checkpoints
between the PRC and the DPRK. The result of the work is the
conclusion that intensive and advanced development of Chinese-North Korean checkpoints became an important element of
PRC's border policy, which ensured the dominant role of Beijing
in the foreign economics of DPRK. It was found that during the
deterioration of economic and political relations of the DPRK with
Russia, South Korea and Japan, China intensively modernized
checkpoints with North Korea along the whole border line. This
activity played an important role in the formation of China as
a key foreign trade partner of the DPRK. This thesis is proved
by considering the progress of modernization in 2001–2020 for
each Chinese-North Korean checkpoint, and an assessment of
the development of border crossing systems between countries.

China, North Korea, checkpoint, freight turnover, export, import.