The scope of China's investment in Rason is expected to remarkably expand in the future because of the recent brisk economic cooperation between the DPRK and China, the paper said, and went on:

A source of the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Region of China said on May 19 that more than 200 enterprises of China made their way to Rason and the total amount of capital invested by 68 enterprises while doing business still now reached 370 million euro (about 573.5 billion won).

Rason has become an object that draws the interest of China. For instance, China's big enterprises including the first auto plant are considering investment.

It is said that the project for repairing and paving the 53 km-long road between Hunchun and Rason is now under way and that a ground-making ceremony will be held with high-ranking officials of the north and China attending.

It was against this backdrop that China was in the process of transporting 20,000 tons of coal to Rason Port via Hunchun from May 14 and then transporting it to Shanghai by a cargo ship.

Yanbian Ribao, conveying this news on May 18, reported that the Shanghai branches of the Hunchun Mining Group and the Chungjiang Group would transport 500,000 tons of coal to Shanghai by this method this year. This would be tantamount to more than 14,000 truck loads. An official concerned of the Mining Group said that transport of loads to various provinces of Southern China by this method would help sharply cut down the time and transport charges, etc. as compared with the inland transport.

Prof. Yun Sung Hyon at Yanbian University said that " signal flares have been fired for the comprehensive development of River Tuman connecting Hunchun of China, Rason of the DPRK and Khasan of Russia, etc." when viewed from the recent moves for economic cooperation