SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to travel to Pyongyang on Monday in his first visit in seven years, a trip likely meant to reassert China’s unique influence over North Korea in return for providing economic and political benefits.During his two-day stay, Xi is to meet leader Kim Jong Un. It will be their first summit since September in Beijing after attending a military parade with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders. No specific agenda has been mentioned. Foreign experts predict the meeting will have big ramifications on bilateral ties and beyond, as they both seek to fully restore their traditional alliance in the face of separate confrontations with the U.S.“A Chinese leader doesn’t just visit North Korea because a visit is due. Xi’s trip will have real implications for China-DPRK relations,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, using the abbreviation for North Korea’s full name.
Sway over North Korea likely helps Xi’s dealings with USXi’s trip comes after his back-to-back summits with U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin in Beijing last month. Xi is expected to meet Trump again on a planned U.S. visit in September.Xi will try to demonstrate China’s “sway over the Korean Peninsula” and “a leadership role in entire Northeast Asia in the ages of strategic competitions with the U.S.,” said Kwak Gil Sup, the head of One Korea Center, a website specializing in North Korea affairs.China has long been North Korea’s economic lifeline and main diplomatic backer. It was believed to have avoided fully enforcing U.N. sanctions on North Korea and sent clandestine aid to help its impoverished neighbor stay afloat. This year marks 65 years since the two countries signed a mutual defense treaty.
