Border checkpoints as a Chinese instrument for strengthening economic and political cooperation with North Korea. Part 2
The article examines China's activity in the development of checkpoints with the DPRK in 2001-2020 years, which correlated with gradual growth of the volume of freight traffic between countries in studied period and 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 has become an important element of PRC's border policy, which ensured the dominant role of Beijing in the foreign economic 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 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.