Friendship or leverage: Why is Xi Jinping going to North Korea?
Beijing is trying to reassert influence over a strategically vital yet deeply unpredictable partner.
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Notable Quotes
"China wants to ensure that its interests vis-a-vis North Korea are protected at a time of rapid convergence between Moscow and Pyongyang."
— Ankit Panda , Academic
"On one hand, the partnership distracts Washington and complicates US strategy in multiple theaters, which indirectly benefits China."
— Lee Seong-hyon , Academic
Key People
Ankit Panda is a nuclear policy specialist at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Kim Jong Un is the Supreme Leader of North Korea.
Lee Seong-hyon is a visiting scholar at the Harvard University Asia Center.
Vladimir Putin is the President of Russia.
Xi Jinping is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and President of China.
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Beijing is trying to reassert influence over a strategically vital yet deeply unpredictable partner.
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