Political Risk

BMI View: Despite reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Il suffered a stroke in August, there have been no signs of unusual developments to indicate instability. In the event... 2008-10-03

BMI View: As North Korea marks the 60th anniversary of its establishment on September 9 2008, we outline five scenarios for political change.

President Hu Jintao has promised that China will stand by the pledges it made when it was awarded the Olympic Games back in 2001 to improve its human rights record and engender greater... 2008-08-13

BMI View: North Korea is expected to convene its Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) in September, and this is likely to be accompanied by a reshuffle of senior officials. This in turn... 2008-08-01

BMI View: Pyongyang's long-awaited nuclear declaration, submitted on June 26, effectively lets the regime off the hook on a number of sensitive issues. Most significantly, North Korea... 2008-06-27

BMI View: Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping's forthcoming visit to North Korea will be aimed at shoring up bilateral relations, as Beijing prepares to hold a new round of 'six-way... 2008-06-10

BMI View: North Korea's submission of 18,000 pages of documents detailing its nuclear programme to the US should relieve external pressure on Kim Jong Il's regime in the near term.... 2008-05-12

BMI View: We believe the parliamentary elections on April 9 accorded President Lee Myung-bak with a firm mandate to pursue economic reform. Lee's most ambitious expenditure plans... 2008-04-10

BMI View: We see a marked improvement in cross-Strait relations and Taiwan's business environment going forward as the next president is likely to scale back regulatory restrictions... 2008-03-06

BMI View: North Korea's short-term political risk rating is stable at 79.0, reflecting our expectations of regime and policy continuity going forward. Our long-term political risk... 2008-03-06