Friendship or leverage: Why is Xi Jinping in North Korea?
And now Beijing is trying to reassert sway over a strategically vital yet deeply unpredictable partner.China wants stability on its border and influence in Pyongyang, but without being dragged into crises triggered by North Korea's nuclear ambitions. So Xi's visit this week - he arrived in Pyongyang on Monday - is likely to be less about friendship, more about leverage. Seoul believes he may try to position China as a mediator between North Korea and the United States, but Beijing may have other motives.Western diplomatic sources tell the BBC that China has become increasingly concerned about the growing partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow.
- ▪And now Beijing is trying to reassert sway over a strategically vital yet deeply unpredictable partner.China wants stability on its border and influence in Pyongyang, but without being dragged into crises triggered by North Korea's nuclear
- ▪So Xi's visit this week - he arrived in Pyongyang on Monday - is likely to be less about friendship, more about leverage.
- ▪Seoul believes he may try to position China as a mediator between North Korea and the United States, but Beijing may have other motives.Western diplomatic sources tell the BBC that China has become increasingly concerned about the growing p
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| Publication time | Mon, 08 Jun 2026 14:22:38 GMT |
| Retrieval time | 2026-06-08T08:19:21.614Z |
| Last seen | 2026-06-08T14:24:35.255Z |
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Friendship or leverage: Why is Xi Jinping in North Korea?28 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleLaura BickerChina correspondentGetty ImagesXi and Kim last met in September in Beijing at a military paradeFor Chinese leader Xi Jinping, North Korea is the neighbour China can neither control nor afford to lose.The two sides often describe their relationship as one "forged in blood", a reference to the Korean War.Yet in recent years, mistrust has strained ties. And now Beijing is trying to reassert sway over a strategically vital yet deeply unpredictable partner.China wants stability on its border and influence in Pyongyang, but without being dragged into crises triggered by North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
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