In a noteworthy development on the international stage, China and North Korea appear poised to deepen their alliance as Chinese President Xi Jinping makes a notable visit to Pyongyang this Monday. This state visit, a rarity in recent years, underscores a potential recalibration of regional dynamics.
Xi’s arrival in North Korea marks his first visit in seven years, a move that analysts perceive as an effort to reaffirm China’s influential role in North Korean affairs. In return, China might offer economic and political support to bolster this relationship.
The visit will include a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, their first since September. Previously, the two leaders met in Beijing, where they attended a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other dignitaries. While the specifics of their agenda remain undisclosed, experts suggest the discussions will likely focus on reinforcing their historic alliance, especially as both nations navigate separate tensions with the United States.
This diplomatic engagement between Xi and Kim could have far-reaching implications, not only for the bilateral ties between China and North Korea but also for the broader geopolitical landscape as both countries seek to fortify their positions amidst ongoing disputes with Washington.
The trip marks Chinese President Xi Jinping’s first trip to North Korea in seven years. (Getty Images)
Xi’s trip comes after his back-to-back summits with U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin in Beijing last month. Xi plans to meet Trump again for a U.S. visit in September.
China has, for years, been North Korea’s economic lifeline and primary diplomatic backer. China has refrained from fully enforcing U.N. sanctions on North Korea and sent clandestine aid to support its impoverished neighbor.
This year marks 65 years since the two nations signed a mutual defense treaty.
Despite this, there have been questions about their ties in recent years, as North Korea has prioritized cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and weapons to support its war against Ukraine and received economic and military assistance from Moscow in return.
Experts warn that restoring China’s exclusive influence over North Korea would give Xi leverage with Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his wish to restart diplomacy with Kim.
Experts say the visit is likely aimed at reasserting China’s unique influence over North Korea in exchange for providing economic and political benefits. (KCNA via REUTERS  )
Analysts said Xi would likely offer Kim economic aid packages such as shipments of rice and fertilizers, a resumption of Chinese group tourism to North Korea and joint economic projects.
Xi may also avoid the issue of denuclearization of North Korea, which wants to achieve international recognition as a nuclear weapons state, as a way to call for lifting of U.N. sanctions on North Korea, according to experts.
After last month’s summit between Trump and Xi, the U.S. government said the two leaders affirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea.
But China only said the leaders spoke about the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. Kim’s sister and senior official Kim Yo Jong dismissed the readout of the meeting as “false information.”
China and North Korea both seek to fully restore their traditional alliance amid separate disputes with the U.S. government. (Getty Images)
Last week, Kim unveiled a new plant to produce nuclear ingredients and pledged to bolster the country’s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.” He also said he is seeking to speed up efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy.
On Sunday, Kim Yo Jong described a U.S. plan for the denuclearization of North Korea as an “escapist and anachronistic dream.”
Kim Jong Un has dismissed U.S. and South Korean offers for talks as he focuses on enlarging and modernizing his nuclear arsenal. The North Korean leader in September urged the U.S. to withdraw its demand for North Korea to denuclearize as a precondition for resuming diplomacy.
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