Xi Jinping’s Rare Meeting with Kim Jong Un: Why It May Not Be Good News for Trump

By The Slate Bureau

New Delhi, June 8: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Monday and quickly became the focus of global speculation over what the two nations would discuss. Xi’s two-day visit to North Korea is his first in seven years, and ahead of high-level talks with US President Donald J Trump due next month. While Trump has been pushing for denuclearisation in North Korea, North Korea is desperate to be acknowledged as a nuclear weapons state. With a potential influence over North Korea, China could display itself in a "leadership role in the entire Northeast Asia" to win an upper hand over any discussion with Trump in July, experts say.

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 US,” said Kwak Gil Sup, the head of One Korea Center, a website specialising in North Korea affairs.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's first North Korea visit in seven years raises questions over Beijing's strategy, Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, and the future of US-China-North Korea relations. (Image Source: X/@XisMoments)

“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 Womans University in Seoul, using the abbreviation for North Korea's official name, reported news agency AP.

China-North Korea Ties

China has consistently avoided fully enforcing sanctions on North Korea imposed by the UN Security Council. It has also reportedly provided clandestine aid to help its impoverished neighbour stay afloat. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the mutual defence treaty signed by the two countries.

However, the relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang came under scrutiny after Russia emerged as a key player. North Korea increasingly turned to Russia for economic and military assistance in exchange for supplying troops and weapons to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Xi and Kim Jong Un met during a summit in Beijing in September and attended a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders.

Xi to Use North Korea as Leverage Against the US?

China has remained North Korea’s economic lifeline and principal diplomatic backer for years. During this visit, some analysts believe Beijing may offer economic assistance packages, including shipments of rice and fertiliser, the resumption of Chinese group tourism to North Korea, and joint economic projects.

“North Korea can't solely rely on Russia. It needs to align with China,” said Kwak Gil Sup, head of One Korea Centre, a website specialising in North Korean affairs. Analysts say such moves could help China reassert its exclusive influence over North Korea, giving Xi greater leverage in dealings with Trump, who has repeatedly expressed interest in restarting diplomacy with Kim.

“Implementing UN Security Council resolutions and enforcing sanctions do not appear to be priorities for China,” Easley said.

In an article published in North Korea’s main newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, on Monday, Xi wrote that China and North Korea must strengthen strategic cooperation and work together to oppose “hegemonism and coercive politics” while pursuing a more orderly multipolar world.

China's May Avoid Nuclear Topic

Kim needs Xi’s support for his efforts to secure recognition of North Korea as a nuclear state. An editorial published in Rodong Sinmun on Monday described Xi as “the most honoured state guest” and reported that Pyongyang’s streets were “filled with an atmosphere of friendship”. Xi is accompanied by a delegation that includes his wife Peng Liyuan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and senior Communist Party official Cai Qi.

Analysts believe Xi may also avoid pressing Kim on denuclearisation and instead speak broadly about peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. Such an approach would suit Kim, who is seeking international recognition as a nuclear weapons state and hopes this could eventually support calls for the lifting of UN sanctions.

“Chinese officials have taken the position of not speaking publicly about denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula while still maintaining it as a long-term goal. Kim appears to want Xi to accept North Korea as a nuclear neighbour,” Easley said.

How China and North Korea Are Responding to Trump’s Demands

Following last month’s summit between Trump and Xi, the White House said the two leaders had reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearising North Korea. China, however, only stated that the leaders had discussed the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.

On Sunday, Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, dismissed the US account of the Xi-Trump meeting as “false information”. Echoing her brother’s position, she described Washington’s push for North Korean denuclearisation as an “escapist and anachronistic dream”.

Kim Jong Un has rejected US and South Korean offers for talks and instead focused on expanding and modernising his nuclear arsenal since his high-profile diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. In September, Kim said he still had “good personal memories” of Trump but urged the United States to drop its demand for denuclearisation as a precondition for resuming negotiations.

Experts believe Kim may eventually seek arms-reduction talks with the US in an effort to secure concessions in return for partially scaling back his nuclear programme.

Last week, Kim unveiled a new facility for producing nuclear materials and vowed to strengthen the country's nuclear forces “at an exponential rate”. He also observed sea trials of a new naval destroyer and called for accelerating efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung told reporters on Monday that North Korea is producing enough nuclear material each year for approximately 10 to 20 bombs and is close to perfecting intercontinental ballistic missile technology. Lee said the international community should first focus on persuading North Korea to freeze its nuclear material production and ICBM programme as a short-term objective.

China has avoided fully enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea and has reportedly provided clandestine aid to support its struggling neighbour. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the mutual defence treaty between the two countries.

Last month, Xi held back-to-back discussions with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

While the US sought to restrict North Korea’s sources of funding in an effort to encourage denuclearisation, China continued to provide economic and diplomatic support to Pyongyang.

(With Inputs from news agency AP)