Developing more favorable attitudes among participants in a dispute in cooperative situations fosters greater mutual trust and openness of communication, as well as providing a more stable basis for continued cooperation, despite the growth or undermining of certain objectives. This also encourages a perception of similarity of attitudes. However, communication does not bring the same benefits when participants are competitors. In this case, communication does not foster trust and cooperation.
China is North Korea's largest trade partner, while North Korea ranked 82nd on the list of China's trade partners (2009 estimate) China provides about half of all North Korean imports and received a quarter of its exports. By 2011 trade had increased to $5.6 billion (₩5.04 trillion).
