"Invincible Friendship" with a Calculation: Xi Jinping Turns a Blind Eye to DPRK's Nuclear Rockets for Stability
Political
Against the backdrop of stalled nuclear talks with Washington and the DPRK's unprecedented military alignment with Moscow, Beijing has decided to seize the initiative. The official slogans of "invincible friendship" mask a harsh, pragmatic calculation: to protect the strategic socialist buffer state on the border with pro-Western South Korea, while simultaneously signaling to Vladimir Putin the true limitations of Russian influence in Asia.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived for a two-day official visit to North Korea, declaring an "invincible friendship" between the two nations. This marks his first foreign trip this year and his first visit to Pyongyang since 2019. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally welcomed the Chinese delegation at the airport. On the eve of his arrival, Xi Jinping published an article in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, emphasizing a course toward expanding strategic cooperation and jointly opposing "hegemony and authoritarianism".
Analysts note that Beijing has fundamentally shifted its priorities. While in 2019 China supported UN sanctions to push for the DPRK's denuclearization, today the issue of Pyongyang’s disarmament will likely not be discussed at all. Amid the stalemate in US-DPRK negotiations and China’s resilience in the trade war with Washington, Beijing has refocused on maintaining the stability of Kim’s regime. The influential sister of the North Korean leader has already called the country's nuclear status a "line from which it is impossible to retreat". Harvard experts point out that Beijing benefits from having a well-armed buffer state that diverts US military resources.
The second crucial objective of the visit is containing Russia's growing influence. Following the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russian forces in Ukraine in 2024, Pyongyang received massive financial aid, technology, and a mutual defense treaty from Moscow. This has triggered implicit concern in Beijing. Although relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have become more equal due to the Kremlin's need for soldiers, experts are certain that Russia cannot compete with China. The economies of South Korea and Japan are tied to their alliance with the US, and the DPRK cannot rely on an economically weakened Russia to counter them.
The economic agenda of the visit includes expanding practical cooperation in trade, oil refining, science, healthcare, and agriculture. Beijing seeks to reaffirm its status as the DPRK's primary partner ahead of any potential resumption of contacts between Kim and Donald Trump. China's main fear remains the collapse of the North Korean regime, which would lead to a unified peninsula under a pro-Western government. In that scenario, the 28,500-strong contingent of US troops would end up directly on the land borders of China and Russia. Xi Jinping's trip is designed to firmly lock Pyongyang within Beijing's diplomatic orbit.
Analysts note that Beijing has fundamentally shifted its priorities. While in 2019 China supported UN sanctions to push for the DPRK's denuclearization, today the issue of Pyongyang’s disarmament will likely not be discussed at all. Amid the stalemate in US-DPRK negotiations and China’s resilience in the trade war with Washington, Beijing has refocused on maintaining the stability of Kim’s regime. The influential sister of the North Korean leader has already called the country's nuclear status a "line from which it is impossible to retreat". Harvard experts point out that Beijing benefits from having a well-armed buffer state that diverts US military resources.
The second crucial objective of the visit is containing Russia's growing influence. Following the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russian forces in Ukraine in 2024, Pyongyang received massive financial aid, technology, and a mutual defense treaty from Moscow. This has triggered implicit concern in Beijing. Although relations between Moscow and Pyongyang have become more equal due to the Kremlin's need for soldiers, experts are certain that Russia cannot compete with China. The economies of South Korea and Japan are tied to their alliance with the US, and the DPRK cannot rely on an economically weakened Russia to counter them.
The economic agenda of the visit includes expanding practical cooperation in trade, oil refining, science, healthcare, and agriculture. Beijing seeks to reaffirm its status as the DPRK's primary partner ahead of any potential resumption of contacts between Kim and Donald Trump. China's main fear remains the collapse of the North Korean regime, which would lead to a unified peninsula under a pro-Western government. In that scenario, the 28,500-strong contingent of US troops would end up directly on the land borders of China and Russia. Xi Jinping's trip is designed to firmly lock Pyongyang within Beijing's diplomatic orbit.
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