China’s new territorial strategies towards North Korea: security, development, and inter-scalar politics

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This paper analyzes China’s North Korea strategy, focusing on its territorial practices and representations. Traditionally, China’s territorial visions of North Korea mainly reflected geopolitical imperatives. However, China has recently remobilized its territorial strategies in geoeconomic terms. The study shows that China’s territorial strategies are to enhance geopolitical security through geoeconomic means. To grasp these dynamics, this paper examines three territorial features: China’s geopolitical visions, regional development projects, and the scalar politics of its North Korea policy. The central finding is that China’s North Korea strategy cannot be reduced to any single dimension, as these three facets are closely intertwined.