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Or sign-in if you have an account.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands upon the latters arrival at Pyongyang international airport in 2019. Xi is reportedly planning his first visit since. Photo by KCNA VIA KNS /AFP/Getty ImagesAfter hosting Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in the span of a week, Xi Jinping may already be eyeing the next big move on his diplomatic calendar: a visit to North Korea.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorSuch a trip, which Yonhap News reported Thursday could take place as soon as next week or early June, would be his first journey abroad this year and his first to Pyongyang in seven years.The significance would reach well beyond their bilateral relationship. Coming after back-to-back summits with North Korea’s biggest foe and its wartime partner, a Pyongyang visit would allow Xi to cast China as one of the few powers still able to engage all sides in an increasingly fractured world.“In a world unsettled by Trumpian unpredictability, Xi is presenting Beijing as a central manager of multipolarity,” said Brian Wong, an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong. “The underlying message is clear: China will talk to all sides, absorb pressure from multiple directions, and keep its strategic options open.”Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format.By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said he had no information to share in response to a question on Xi’s reported plan to visit North Korea at a regular briefing on Thursday.Beijing’s pull was on clear display over the past week, as Xi rolled out the red carpet for Trump and Putin in quick succession. The diplomatic choreography underscored Beijing’s insistence that it will manage ties with both powers on its own terms.After two days of talks, Xi got Trump to sign on to his proposed framework of “constructive strategic stability” — a new formula for managing great-power competition and ensuring Beijing isn’t blindsided by sudden US moves on tariffs, sanctions or technology controls. With a giant photo of themselves in the background, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and China’s President Xi Jinping tour a photo exhibition on Russia-China ties in Beijing on May 20, 2026. Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV/Pool/AFP via Getty ImagesWith Putin, Xi hailed bilateral ties as standing at the “highest level in history” and showed their usual united front in criticizing the US. But he stopped short of handing Russia the breakthrough it has long sought — a new gas pipeline that would more than double its current exports to China.“China has built a lot of leverage. It really can dictate the terms, it doesn’t need any deal at any costs,” said Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center.A Pyongyang trip and a meeting with Kim Jong Un would remind both Trump and Putin of the influence Beijing holds over the Kim regime. But that leverage has limits: Despite years of Chinese pressure, North Korea has only accelerated its nuclear program and deepened its military ties with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine.The divide is sharpest on the nuclear question. A White House fact sheet said Trump and Xi had “confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea” — language that was absent from Beijing’s own readout of their talks.When Kim visited Xi in Beijing on the sidelines of a military parade last September, official readouts again made no mention of denuclearization. The departure from previous summit statements fueled speculation that Beijing has tacitly accepted North Korea as a de facto nuclear power.Yet for all its strategic leverage, Beijing has so far refrained from using its influence to play a decisive role in ending the wars in the Middle East or Ukraine. In the case of Iran, since the US and Israeli attacks in late February, Beijing has sought to balance strategic ties with Tehran against its vast Gulf economic interests, hosting Iran’s foreign minister just days before Trump arrived.Xi has nonetheless remained in constant demand globally. Since January, Xi has received more than a dozen world leaders spanning Asia, Europe and North America. Compared with previous years, the share of visits by Western leaders is the highest since he took power in 2012, according to a tally by Bloomberg News.And with the pomp and pageantry of each visit, Beijing is reinforcing its image as a center of global politics.“The flurry of visits and trips bolsters a perception of Beijing and Xi being highly active and central to world affairs,” said Ja Ian Chong, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore.“There is a marked contrast with the volatility and unpredictability associated with the United States under the Trump administration, which can make Beijing seem more attractive by default.”— With assistance from Soo-Hyang Choi.Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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