China announces more development in Inner Cháoxiān Autonomous Region

It's short and sweet, but Bloomberg is reporting Maeil Business Newspaper's story that China is working overtime to develop North Korea's northern trade zone:

China and North Korea may jointly develop the North’s Rajin-Sonbong special economic zone by investing $3.5 billion over five years from 2011, the Maeil Business Newspaper reported, citing people in Beijing that it didn’t identify.

Could it be a continuation of this, which I feel is the real story of North Korea's transformation, not the side show of Kim Jong-un's supposed ascension?

Welcome to the Inner Cháoxiān Autonomous Region. No wonder Beijing is upset that Seoul is talking up reunification: it could jeopardize their investment. China seems to be quite perturbed about North Korea right now, but their plan of action is to transform Little Brother Korea into a copy of their own Manchurian provinces instead of pulling the plug and handing over everything to a staunch ally of the United States.

UPDATE:
The Chosun Ilbo has some details on the interactions here and here.