Xi's North Korea Visit: China Must Show 'Great Power Responsibility' by Persuading Denuclearization Talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to make a state visit to North Korea from June 8-9, his first visit to the country in five years. This trip, occurring on the 65th anniversary of the China-North Korea Friendship Treaty, is expected to reaffirm traditional alliances and deepen cooperation between the two nations.

The visit follows a meeting between Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Beijing last September. While the friendship treaty includes a clause for automatic military intervention if one nation is attacked, its practical application has waned since the Cold War. However, North Korea's recent treaty with Russia, reviving a "comprehensive strategic partnership," has raised questions about potential shifts in the China-North Korea relationship.

A primary concern for South Korea is how the issue of North Korea's denuclearization will be handled during Xi's visit. Discussions between Xi, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin have yielded differing public statements regarding North Korea. While the U.S. stated that Xi and Trump confirmed a "common goal of denuclearization," China's official statements omitted such references. Conversely, a joint statement after the China-Russia summit expressed opposition to "military pressure and unilateral sanctions" against North Korea.

Despite these differing approaches, China has maintained that it has not abandoned the principle of denuclearization, stating it upholds "policy continuity and stability." North Korea's recent announcement of a new uranium enrichment facility, timed just before Xi's visit, is seen by some as a preemptive message to Xi to avoid discussing denuclearization. This suggests that divergent views on the nuclear agenda persist between Beijing and Pyongyang.