← Mapping the World Essentials · Season 5

Xi Jinping, Kim Jong-un: an alliance of mutual interest

S5 · E90 · 09 Jun 2026 · 4 min

Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea serves several purposes: to showcase China’s diplomatic power, but also to remind Vladimir Putin that the Pyongyang-Moscow alliance, strengthened in the context of the war in Ukraine, must not overshadow the Pyongyang-Beijing relationship. For his part, Kim Jong-un benefits from playing both sides - Russian and Chinese.