Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s dictator, rarely travels abroad. So his surprise visit on October 24th to Dandong, a Chinese city that borders North Korea , deserves attention. Mr Kim is rebuilding ties with China after four years of cosying up to Russia (by sending it troops and supplies for the war in Ukraine). He may also be preparing for new diplomacy with America, and possibly a meeting with President Donald Trump in November.
In response, Mr Xi has publicly played down his concerns about North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. At the same time, China has been upgrading transport links with North Korea and relaxing restrictions on cross-border trade. Most intriguingly, Mr Kim’s visit may have been intended to co-ordinate his diplomacy with America. America’s president met Mr Kim three times in his first term, hoping to strike a deal to end North Korea’s nuclear programme. Before two of those meetings, Mr Kim travelled to China a few weeks in advance, to talk to Mr Xi.
In the first nine months of the year, official bilateral trade reached $2.3 bn, up from $1.9 bn during the same period last year.
Mr Wang said the new bridge would help to “expand personnel exchanges and trade co-operation”. Mr Trump has said that he would like to meet Mr Kim again, possibly during a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen in mid-November.
American officials have since sought to squash the idea, saying a meeting is unlikely. But some Chinese government advisers say Mr Xi is keen to facilitate one, hoping to reassert his influence and ensure China has a say in any potential deal. By pitting rival powers against each other, Mr Kim is once again playing a weak hand well.
