North Korea and China + Rising sea levels

Over the past few years, China’s relationship with its communist brother state North Korea has been extremely tense. Beijing was annoyed by Pyongyang’s constant flaunting of nuclear-grade missiles. The Stalinist leadership in North Korea, in turn, deemed its big brother too consumerist and capitalist.

In the wake of the reigniting conflict between North and South Korea and general geopolitical disputes, Beijing and Pyongyang are once again growing closer. But how serious are the two leaders about their newly forged friendship? A new North Korean nuclear test in particular would massively damage relations with China again, analyzes our authors Fabian Kretschmer and Finn Mayer-Kuckuk. Because Beijing still does not want a neighbor on its own doorstep that possesses nuclear weapons and is unpredictable at the same time.

Climate change currently seems more real than ever. Record temperatures, collapsing glaciers and, last but not least, the sight of many withered meadows show us that the changes are no longer a theory, but will affect our everyday lives from now on. The rising sea level is also a topic again. How far it will rise varies depending on the simulation. But one thing is already certain: The water is already rising.

China is no exception here; on the contrary, a particularly high proportion of value creation happens in coastal cities. Moreover, they are densely clustered population hubs. Ning Wang analyzes what rising sea levels could mean for China and how it will respond. The conclusion: Diking is cheaper than resettlement.

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Felix Lee