China's Business Relations with North Korea and Myanmar
VIEW EVENT DETAILSTwo of Asia's pariah states, North Korea and Myanmar, are increasingly dependent on trade and investment from bordering China. Drew Thompson, Director of China Studies and Starr Senior Fellow at The Nixon Center, and three discussants: Jae Ku, Director at US-KI; David Steinberg, Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University; and Yun Sun, Senior Program Officer on China and Hong Kong at NDI, will address this issue.
China is North Korea's largest trading partner and the primary source of investment, food, arms, and fuel, as this economic dependence is rapidly increasing, what does North Korea get out of this situation? Drew Thompson will share his perspective about the status of Chinese investment in North Korea and the role they play in the stability and security of the Peninsula.
Meanwhile, with its total investment in North Korea of $98.3 from Y2003-2009, it is still less than China's investments in other neighboring countries, including $729.8 million in Myanmar over the same period.
China has become one of the most important sources of trade and development assistance for Myanmar since 1988. It has surpassed Thailand to become the largest foreign investor in Myanmar this January with total of $9.6 billion. Most of China's investments have gone into the oil, natural gas, hydropower, and mining sectors. Together with bilateral trade between China and Myanmar hitting $3.4 billion in the first ten months of 2010, it is critical to see if the economic ties between China and Myanmar have a substantial impact on Myanmar's broad-based economic and industrial development.
Drew Thompson is the Director of China Studies and Starr Senior Fellow at The Nixon Center. Prior to joining The Nixon Center, he was the National Director of the China-MSD HIV/AIDS Partnership, an Assistant Director to the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the President of a Washington, DC company that manufactured snack food in Qingdao, China.
Jae Ku is the Director of the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS. Formerly was director of human rights for the North Korea Project at Freedom House; taught at Brown University, Yonsei University in Seoul and Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul; and was a recipient of Fulbright and Freeman fellowships.
David Steinberg is a specialist on Burma-Myanmar, North Korea and South Korea, Southeast Asia and US policy in Asia. He is Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University. He was previously a Representative of the Asia Foundation in Korea; Distinguished Professor of Korea Studies, Georgetown University; and President of the Mansfield Center for Pacific Affairs.
Yun Sun is currently the Senior Program Officer on China and Hong Kong at National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington, DC. Until February 2011, she was the primary China Analyst with International Crisis Group in Beijing. She was also the primary author of several reports on China-DPRK relations.
China is North Korea's largest trading partner and the primary source of investment, food, arms, and fuel, as this economic dependence is rapidly increasing, what does North Korea get out of this situation? Drew Thompson will share his perspective about the status of Chinese investment in North Korea and the role they play in the stability and security of the Peninsula.
Meanwhile, with its total investment in North Korea of $98.3 from Y2003-2009, it is still less than China's investments in other neighboring countries, including $729.8 million in Myanmar over the same period.
China has become one of the most important sources of trade and development assistance for Myanmar since 1988. It has surpassed Thailand to become the largest foreign investor in Myanmar this January with total of $9.6 billion. Most of China's investments have gone into the oil, natural gas, hydropower, and mining sectors. Together with bilateral trade between China and Myanmar hitting $3.4 billion in the first ten months of 2010, it is critical to see if the economic ties between China and Myanmar have a substantial impact on Myanmar's broad-based economic and industrial development.
Drew Thompson is the Director of China Studies and Starr Senior Fellow at The Nixon Center. Prior to joining The Nixon Center, he was the National Director of the China-MSD HIV/AIDS Partnership, an Assistant Director to the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and the President of a Washington, DC company that manufactured snack food in Qingdao, China.
Jae Ku is the Director of the U.S.-Korea Institute at SAIS. Formerly was director of human rights for the North Korea Project at Freedom House; taught at Brown University, Yonsei University in Seoul and Sookmyung Women's University in Seoul; and was a recipient of Fulbright and Freeman fellowships.
David Steinberg is a specialist on Burma-Myanmar, North Korea and South Korea, Southeast Asia and US policy in Asia. He is Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University. He was previously a Representative of the Asia Foundation in Korea; Distinguished Professor of Korea Studies, Georgetown University; and President of the Mansfield Center for Pacific Affairs.
Yun Sun is currently the Senior Program Officer on China and Hong Kong at National Democratic Institute for International Affairs in Washington, DC. Until February 2011, she was the primary China Analyst with International Crisis Group in Beijing. She was also the primary author of several reports on China-DPRK relations.
Event Details
Tue 15 Mar 2011
The Cinnabar Room Whittemore House, 2nd Floor 1526 New Hampshire Ave, NW Washington, DC
Asia Society members: $15; Asia Society non-members: $20. RSVPs are required by 3:00 pm on March 15.