Xi Visits North Korea, Alliance, Skips Denuclearization
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- Xi Jinping made his first visit to North Korea in nearly seven years, spending two days in Pyongyang and reaffirming the alliance while avoiding any public mention of denuclearization.
- Kim Jong Un told state media that ties with China are “the most important and primary strategic undertaking” for North Korea, signaling an effort to balance Beijing and Moscow.
- Tong Zhao, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, said Beijing is downplaying North Korea’s nuclear program to prioritize bilateral relations, effectively tacitly accepting a nuclear‑armed North Korea.
- China and North Korea agreed to expand their alliance beyond the Korean Peninsula, including increased exchanges and military cooperation.
- North Korea unveiled a new nuclear‑bomb fuel plant and announced plans to expand its nuclear arsenal “at an exponential rate,” reinforcing its claim of irreversibility as a nuclear power.
- U.S. officials claim denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula is a shared goal with China, but Beijing has not publicly confirmed any such agreement, and Kim’s sister dismissed the claim as false.
- Choo Jaewoo noted that the leaders’ remarks suggest ambitions to involve North Korea in broader regional flashpoints such as Taiwan.
Why it matters: South Korean and Japanese security planners gain leverage as Beijing’s tacit acceptance of a nuclear‑armed North Korea pushes them to deepen ties with Washington, while Pyongyang secures a powerful ally that backs its nuclear status, reshaping the regional power balance.
