▲ Kim Jong-un meets with China's Wang Huning
Following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's surprise visit to China on October 24, foreign media outlets have shown intense interest in the purpose of his trip.
Media outlets raised various speculations as to why Kim is visiting China again a little over a year since September of last year, suggesting it reflects his will to accelerate the improvement of North Korea-China relations or that he may be coordinating stances in advance with China regarding the possibility of North Korea-US summit talks next month.
Reuters evaluated Kim's visit to Dandong, Liaoning Province, China, after crossing the newly opened New Amnokgang Bridge as a "symbolic move emphasizing expanded trade."
The British daily Financial Times (FT) reported that as North Korea and Russia rapidly draw closer due to North Korea's troop deployment to Russia, Kim reaffirmed the strength of North Korea-China relations through his visit to China.
Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute, analyzed to the FT that "China wants to pull North Korea toward its side, and Kim will likely try to improve relations with China to gain additional leverage."
The Associated Press interpreted Kim's visit to China as an "offensive diplomatic move to bind North Korea with China and Russia to build a united anti-US front in what he describes as a 'new Cold War.'"
While noting that the exact reason for Kim's visit to Dandong remains somewhat ambiguous, AFP emphasized that China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a core source of diplomatic, political, and economic support.
In addition, citing remarks by Yang Moo-jin, former president of the University of North Korean Studies, AFP added that the visit serves to pressure China to more swiftly implement agreements reached during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea last June.
Foreign media also paid attention to the timing of Kim's visit, which comes ahead of US President Donald Trump's upcoming trip to China next month.
President Trump is scheduled to visit China to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit held in Shenzhen on November 18 – 19.
Persistent speculations continue that President Trump could meet face-to-face with Kim around this period.
Christopher Green, a senior consultant at the think tank International Crisis Group, told Bloomberg that Kim may have aligned views with President Xi before agreeing to a meeting with President Trump.
Yang also told AFP that "Kim may have sought China's active support and cooperation ahead of a potential meeting with President Trump in Shenzhen."
(Photo: Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap News)
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