Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping and his North Korean counterpart have pledged to deepen bilateral ties and boost cooperation from politics to trade, while skipping any mention of Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions at a summit closely watched by their neighbors.
Xi returned to Beijing on the afternoon of June 9, after a two-day visit to North Korea that analysts viewed as an attempt to preserve influence over the communist neighbor.
Xi’s trip to Pyongyang, the first in seven years, took place amid growing speculation about Pyongyang’s potential shift from its longstanding reliance on Beijing, its dominant trading partner, as it deepened diplomatic, economic, and military cooperation with Moscow….Â
Xi Concludes North Korea Summit With No Public Mention of Nuclear Issue
