One of the international community’s major disputes with China’s handling of North Korea is Beijing’s lax enforcement of UN sanctions, particularly over luxury goods targeting Pyongyang’s elites.

Chinese North Korea watchers, unsurprisingly, have a different view. A survey of academics and government watchers there indicates that, from their perspective, sanctions on luxury goods are trivial and have little effect on North Korea’s activities. Also, they believe it is in China’s interests to promote economic cooperation in East Asia – even with the hated and distrusted Japanese – rather than holding back the economic activity of individual nations, North Korea included.