Economic Security and U.S.-China Competition: The View From North Korea

Korean Kontext

KEI is pleased to hold a program on Economic Security and U.S.-China Competition: The View From North Korea. One country is conspicuously missing from existing discussions about the dilemmas and opportunities that U.S.-China strategic competition poses to various stakeholders in matters related to global economic security: North Korea. North Korea is an interesting piece of the puzzle because it is certainly not a key player in the regional or global economy. Quite unlike its neighboring states, North Korea’s place in global supply chains is minimal at best. Yet, North Korea remains important because it is a major player in the Northeast Asian security landscape. Any key political and economic decisions this nuclear-armed state makes in this volatile region have profound implications for the security and economy of the world. And Pyongyang’s views of U.S.-China competition and its economic and political fallout will be a central component of its near- to long-term policy calculus. North Korea’s view of the Russia factor in U.S.-China competition and the shifting global order is also of relevance.

Listen to KEI’s October 11, 2023 program with Rachel Minyoung Lee, which offers a discussion of how North Korea perceives “economic security” and U.S.-China strategic competition; how its views of U.S.-China relations and the changing global order have reshaped Pyongyang’s foreign and economic policy; and the opportunities and challenges that the geopolitics and geoeconomics of U.S.-China competition pose to Pyongyang.