Xi Jinping talks up cooperation with North Korea’s Kim
There’s nothing like a nice serving of Kim-Xi.
On Thursday, Xi Jinping met with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un in Beijing, following Kim’s attendance at Wednesday’s Victory Day Parade.
Some context: Since coming to power in 2011, Kim has only left his country a handful of times, making this trip to China – his first since 2019 – a significant gesture.
Xi said Kim’s attendance at the parade “provides an important opportunity for further advancing friendship and cooperation” and that (MoFA):
- “China will work with the DPRK to…deepen mutual understanding and friendship, promote closer interactions at all levels, and advance practical cooperation across the board.”
- “China and the DPRK should strengthen strategic coordination and uphold common interests in international and regional affairs.”
Kim reciprocated the good vibes, saying:
- “No matter how the international situation may change, the friendly sentiment between the DPRK and China will not change.”
Get smart: Despite the chummy rhetoric and photo-ops, Beijing views Pyongyang as an unreliable friend at best and a diplomatic liability at worst.
- North Korea is a geopolitical wild card which complicates China’s attempts to build productive ties with regional neighbors, most notably South Korea.
- Beijing has also eyed Pyongyang’s recent tilt toward Moscow with suspicion, and is uneasy about North Korean troops fighting in Ukraine.