7년 만의 평양행, 시진핑과 김정은이 다시 쓴 '혈맹'의 전략 지도 > K-wave Trends

The most significant achievement of this summit is the agreement to elevate North Korea-China relations to a "milestone for a new era." Both countries agreed to regularize high-level exchanges and increase the density of strategic communication, aiming to dramatically expand cooperation across all sectors, including politics, economy, and culture. In particular, with the 65th anniversary of the "North Korea-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance" approaching next month, they signaled large-scale commemorative events, emphasizing that their traditional blood alliance is by no means a temporary cooperation. Chairman Kim Jong Un defined North Korea-China friendship as the nation's No. 1 strategic project, strongly expressing his will to maintain a special and solid relationship that will not change under any external pressure. This is clearly read as a signal that both regimes intend to use each other as powerful allies to ensure regime stability and development in the face of internal and external crises.

It is noteworthy that, with the international community watching, the two leaders reached a perfect consensus on the common goal of "safeguarding sovereignty, security, and development interests." President Xi emphasized that North Korea and China are a community with a shared future that protects peace and stability in the Asian region, and proposed deepening strategic cooperation based on mutual trust. In response, Chairman Kim firmly supported the "One China" principle and promised full support for any policy stance aimed at protecting China's core interests. This closeness reflects their intention to enhance each other's strategic value and build a stronger defensive shield to protect common interests amidst the current international encirclement led by the United States.

An interesting point is the subtle difference in temperature between North Korean and Chinese media reports on this summit. Chinese state media explicitly mentioned specific areas of cooperation proposed by President Xi, such as diplomacy, law enforcement, and military-level exchanges, revealing a quite active willingness for military and security solidarity. Conversely, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) omitted specific mentions of such military exchanges, focusing instead on the completion of the socialist cause, economic and cultural exchanges, and the solidity of the strategic partnership. This is analyzed as an intention by North Korea to emphasize its closeness with China while simultaneously managing the wariness or diplomatic burdens of neighboring countries that could arise from highlighting military aspects too heavily.

The "four development proposals" presented by President Xi contain a concrete blueprint for the future of North Korea-China relations. Starting with laying the foundation for mutual trust, the plan aims to strengthen practical livelihood cooperation in areas such as economy, trade, agriculture, and science and technology, and to enhance ties between the two peoples through the opening of border crossings and the resumption of human exchanges. In particular, the expansion of human exchanges suggests the possibility that North Korea's borders, which have been closed since COVID-19, will open in earnest with China at the center, which is expected to provide significant momentum for North Korea's internal economic recovery. Chairman Kim also fully accepted these proposals and expressed his will to walk the path of modernization together with China, signaling that economic cooperation between the two countries will enter a new phase.

This visit can also be interpreted as a move containing China's strategic calculation to respond to the recently emerged variable of "North Korea-Russia closeness," going beyond simple diplomatic friendship. In a situation where military ties with Russia are strengthening, China likely felt the need to pull North Korea back in to ensure its influence on the Korean Peninsula issue is not excluded. Through this visit, President Xi sent a powerful message that North Korea-China relations remain robust and that he will not lose the initiative in managing the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Chairman Kim also achieved a strategic success by securing the traditional ally of China through balanced diplomacy that does not lean solely toward Russia, thereby maximizing his bargaining power with the U.S. and diversifying his diplomatic portfolio for regime survival.