What Xi and Kim gained from their summit in North Korea
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Ann Scott Tyson Staff writer
Chinese leader Xi Jinping hailed a 鈥渘ew historical starting point鈥� in China鈥檚 ties with North Korea during a rare state visit to Pyongyang this week, calling for stronger political and military exchanges between the Asian neighbors.
Mr. Xi鈥檚 two-day summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is part of a diplomatic charm offensive China is waging to boost influence over its socialist ally. Beijing has watched warily as Pyongyang has drawn closer to Moscow, providing thousands of North Korean troops to fight for Russia in Ukraine in return for Russian technology.
China seeks above all to maintain stability on the Korean Peninsula, and it sees Mr. Putin鈥檚 strategic pact with Mr. Kim 鈥� inked in 2024 鈥� as potentially disruptive, experts say. Russia has accepted North Korea鈥檚 status as a nuclear weapons power.
Why We Wrote This
Chinese leader Xi Jinping, wary of growing ties between North Korea and Russia, turned on the charm in Pyongyang this week. For North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the summit was about influence. For Mr. Xi, it was about stability.
鈥淩ussia is tangibly a more reckless actor ... in northeast Asia,鈥� said Adam Farrar, nonresident senior associate with the Korea Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, on a CSIS podcast previewing the Xi-Kim summit.
For his part, Mr. Kim seeks to bolster his international clout by giving a red-carpet welcome to Mr. Xi, replete with rows of soldiers mounted on white horses. Crowds of people waving flowers and flags lined the street as Mr. Xi鈥檚 motorcade arrived at Pyongyang鈥檚 Kim Il-sung Square, where buildings were draped with huge portraits of both leaders and a red banner proclaiming, 鈥淟ong live the unbreakable friendship and unity between China and North Korea!鈥�
Mr. Xi鈥檚 visit to small, isolated North Korea 鈥� his first international trip of the year 鈥� marked a diplomatic coup of sorts for Mr. Kim, who stressed it showed the 鈥済reat importance鈥� of the bilateral ties. China, the world鈥檚 second-largest economy, is North Korea鈥檚 most important ally and a critical trading partner.
Mr. Xi said the two countries 鈥渟hould enhance exchanges in diplomacy, law enforcement, military affairs and other areas,鈥� according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
He also pledged to further boost trade, agriculture, and technology cooperation, and called for increasing border crossings and flights to facilitate exchanges. North Korea depends on China for most of its imports, including food, fuel, and electronics 鈥� a lifeline that has grown more important as other countries have sanctioned Pyongyang over its nuclear weapons program. Bilateral trade has surged this year.
Mr. Kim also seeks China鈥檚 acceptance of North Korea鈥檚 status as a nuclear power. Beijing has recently downplayed the issue of 鈥渄enuclearization,鈥� dropping the term from the official summary of the talks between Mr. Xi and Mr. Kim in the Chinese capital last September.聽
Nevertheless, by Washington鈥檚 account, Mr. Xi did discuss North Korea and denuclearization with U.S. President Donald Trump at their summit last month. The two leaders 鈥渃onfirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea,鈥� according to a White House fact sheet.
