Vietnam in 2017 continued rapid economic growth and consolidated its role in APEC. US withdrawal from the TPP harmed growth prospects, but Vietnam and other trading partners pushed ahead with other agreements. Industrial production continued to boom, and real wages rose substantially. The ruling party consolidated its hold on national politics and stepped up repression of activists.

Kim Jong Un continued to consolidate his power through personnel changes, and North Korean society saw increasing consumerism, along with signs of growing inequality. The economy did well through early 2017 but the subsequent effects of sanctions remained uncertain. North Korea conducted its first test of an intercontinental ballistic missile and its sixth nuclear test, triggering heated debate in the US and elsewhere about how to respond. Kim clearly is not going to give up working on weapons of mass destruction.