Both a private think tank and a Seoul government-run institution have highlighted North Korea’s efforts to establish a solid economy and the leading role of the party, and both expect a better relationship between Pyongyang and Beijing in 2016.

The Sejong Institute and Korea Institute of National Unification (KINU) published their analyses on Sunday following North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s New Year’s Address on Friday.

“Last year, Kim Jong Un mentioned politics and military first and spoke about the economic sector later, but this year Kim mentioned the economy first, followed by politics and military issues,” the analysis from