Opinion | There’s no point asking why Xi Jinping isn’t going to North Korea. A better question is: what would he achieve by doing so?
At first sight the Chinese President’s decision not to attend his neighbour’s 70th anniversary celebrations may look like a snub. But Edward Howell argues there is little to gain and more to lose from doing so
Why decide to shun a close ally at this most crucial time, especially following three visits by Kim Jong-un to meet Xi in China earlier this year? Reciprocating would only seem to be following diplomatic convention.
Nevertheless, we should not ask why Xi decided not to attend, instead opting to send Li Zhanshu, Chairman of the National People’s Congress on his behalf, but instead – and importantly – question what would have been achieved had Xi actually gone.
The short answer is: most likely very little.
The close alliance between China and North Korea is well known. In his visit to Beijing, Kim stressed “the preciousness of the DPRK-PRC friendship”, where “stability in the region” is critical for these “two brotherly neighbours.”
Kim also emphasised the DPRK’s commitment to developing a “friendly relationship between the two countries at a new, higher level”, a relationship “established through the sacred joint struggle for the cause of socialism”.