North Korea: Xi Jinping in Pyongyang for a Seduction Operation with Kim Jong-un

Xi Jinping has not set foot in North Korea for seven years. The Chinese president is returning on Monday, June 8, for an official two-day visit. The meeting between Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un takes place in the year marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of the treaty of friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance between the two countries.

Kim Jong-un is stronger than in 2019.

The Chinese leader is not just coming to celebrate a birthday. "He aims to bolster his status as a great power, on par with the United States. After hosting several European leaders, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump in Beijing in recent months, he wants to add the North Korean leader to his current diplomatic achievements," says Sebastian Harnisch, a North Korea specialist at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

Xi Jinping also intends to reassure himself about Sino-Korean relations. "He is going to Pyongyang to reaffirm a certain form of primacy over North Korea," estimates Edward Howell, a North Korea expert at the University of Oxford. The relationship between the two leaders and their countries has significantly changed in seven years. The North Korean leader, according to experts in the region interviewed by France 24, has gained diplomatic confidence.

In 2019, "it was a hierarchical relationship of overwhelming dependence on China. Beijing was Pyongyang's geopolitical lifeline and China had a de facto monopoly over North Korea’s economic and trade options," summarizes Antonio Fiori, a North Korea political specialist and security issues expert at the University of Bologna.

At that time, Kim Jong-un hoped to negotiate with the United States the lifting of economic sanctions in exchange for concessions on his nuclear program. North Korea relied on its powerful Asian neighbor to support its ambitions.

Everything has changed in the meantime. The North Korean leader has abandoned his dream of diplomatic "normalization," and "relations between Pyongyang and Washington are at an all-time low," assures Edward Howell.

However, Kim Jong-un has not sought refuge in the arms of China, which would have further heightened his dependence. The North Korean leader has decided to bet everything on his own nuclear capabilities. "The North Korean strategy focuses on military modernization, expanding the nuclear arsenal, and strengthening the regime's security," details Antonio Fiori.

Source: France 24

The post North Korea: Xi Jinping in Pyongyang for a Seduction Operation with Kim Jong-un appeared first on IONNEWS.