It has not been an easy year for North Korea and China. In North Korea, rumored COVID-19 outbreaks, natural disasters and the likely illness of Kim Jong Un have placed a strain on an already-fragile situation. 

In China, economic shutdowns, diplomatic clashes and widespread flooding further complicated the fallout from COVID-19.

However, the leaders of both countries proclaim that they have vanquished these challenges and are speeding ahead to an even stronger future. And the parallels between the situation in China and North Korea have not gone unnoticed by Chinese observers — even though North Korea