Xi Jinping Eyes State Visit to North Korea After Hosting Trump and Putin

After hosting Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin within the span of a week, Chinese President Xi Jinping is reported to be preparing his next major step in the diplomatic calendar: a state visit to North Korea. A Yonhap News report on Thursday (21 May) said the trip could take place as early as next week or early June. If realised, it would be Xi’s first foreign trip of the year and his first visit to Pyongyang in seven years. The significance of the visit extends beyond bilateral relations. Arriving just after back-to-back summits with North Korea’s nemesis (the United States) and wartime ally Russia, the Pyongyang visit would allow Xi to present China as the only major power capable of embracing all sides in an increasingly fragmented world. “In a world unsettled by the unpredictability of Trump-style leadership, Xi presents Beijing as the central manager of multipolarity,” said Brian Wong, an assistant professor at the University of Hong Kong. “The basic message is clear: China will talk to all sides, absorb pressure from various directions, and keep its strategic options open.” Beijing’s influence has been evident over the past week. Xi rolled out the red carpet for Trump and Putin in succession, underscoring that Beijing will manage relations with both powers on its own terms. A visit to Pyongyang and a meeting with Kim Jong Un would remind Trump and Putin of Beijing’s considerable influence over the Kim regime. But that influence has its limits. Despite years of pressure from China, North Korea has in fact accelerated its nuclear program and deepened military ties with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. Sharp differences also emerge on nuclear issues. The White House stated that Trump and Xi confirmed a shared objective of denuclearising North Korea, but that point was absent from Beijing’s official release. This has sparked speculation that Beijing quietly accepts North Korea as a de facto nuclear power. Since January, Xi has met more than a dozen world leaders from Asia, Europe, to North America. According to Bloomberg News data, the share of Western leader visits this year is the highest since Xi took office in 2012. “This string of visits reinforces the perception that Beijing and Xi are highly active and central in world affairs,” said Ja Ian Chong, professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. He added that the contrast between Beijing’s stability and the volatility of the Trump administration makes China’s position appear more naturally attractive to many countries. (Bloomberg/I-2) CNN’s investigation reveals that the Russian cargo ship Ursa Major allegedly carried a nuclear reactor for North Korea before sinking mysteriously off the coast of Spain. North Korea called US accusations of cryptocurrency asset theft for its weapons program a political smear. The UN estimates cyber losses at US$3 billion. Kim Jong Un praised the acts of North Korean soldiers who died on the Russia-Ukraine battlefield to avoid capture. See details of Pyongyang-Moscow military cooperation. New Zealand reports alleged violations of North Korea sanctions at sea, including illegal transfers between ships and 35 suspicious vessels to the UN. North Korea launched short-range ballistic missiles from Sinpo. The action is seen as a show of force amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran. North Korea launched two strategic cruise missiles and three anti-ship missiles, under the watch of its Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un, according to senior defence officials. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko presented Kim Jong Un with an automatic rifle in Pyongyang. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko made an official visit to North Korea.