Special Economic Zones have a long and controversial history in North East Asia, going all the way back to the Treaty Ports of the 19th century, where western powers used gunboat diplomacy to coerce the economies of North East Asia into ceding corners of territory for foreigners and their trades.

The situation is quite different now, especially since the roaring growth of Shenzhen SEZ in China from 1980, with economies now eager to expand trade and attract inward investment. But the same principles of carving out a small slice of strategically located land to engage in the heat