"South Korea has been trapped in the false choice of 'security with the U.S., economy with China'—and President Lee Jae Myung has decided to break out of it," said Yu Ji-won, director of the Institute for Korea-China Relations at Wonkwang University, in an interview with South on January 6. "He understands that security and economic interests are not separate spheres but a single strategic whole."

During a recent visit to southern China, Singapore's former UN ambassador Kishore Mahbubani joined Chinese expert Tao Yitao to reflect on how the zones emerged and what lessons they offer today.