Choo Jae-woo
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s two-day visit to North Korea raises numerous questions. Many observers are confused about his goals — why at this time, and what he achieved from the meeting. They believe Xi was concerned about Pyongyang’s connection with Moscow being too tight for Beijing’s diplomatic standing in their trilateral relationship. Does North Korean leader Kim Jung-un play China off Russia? Why was North Korean or Korean Peninsula disarmament not discussed? Could Beijing be acknowledging Pyongyang as a nuclear weapon state? My conclusion is no to the first two questions and yes to the last.
After Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Pyongyang in April, rumors spread that Xi would visit North Korea soon. Many thought a July visit would be a better option politically as it would mark the 65th anniversary of the friendship treaty between the two countries. No Chinese leader has visited on the event. After the foreign minister returned, Xi would then visit two months later. It would be odd to delay the visit beyond two months diplomatically. Naturally, a question arises. Why did Xi chose North Korea for his first international trip this year? Was he worried about Pyongyang and Moscow's apparent growing closeness? Was he forced to announce China's participation to strengthen the trilateral cooperation that has grown since Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the Victory Day parade in Beijing in September?
