Chinese President Xi Jinping is wrapping up a two-day trip to North Korea on Tuesday.
This is Xi's first trip outside China this year, his first to North Korea since before the pandemic.
These days, Xi goes to fewer destinations than he once did, and they’re chosen with strategic intent.
Last year’s APEC meeting in South Korea. Earlier last year, a Southeast Asia swing through Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia. The summit of emerging economies in New Delhi this coming September.
Xi went to Moscow last May to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
The most memorable scene: a three-way photo op with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In recent years, North Korea has drawn closer to Russia, including sending troops to fight in the war with Ukraine.
But China is North Korea’s top trade partner by far, and its biggest source of foreign aid. And if countries can be influencers, China remains North Korea’s most important one.
Meanwhile, Xi’s rhetoric points to China pulling its allies closer, including North Korea, wanting to create a united front in opposition to the influence of the United States.
