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North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un receives Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang.
Yan Yan/XinHua/dpa
During the state visit to Pyongyang, Xi Jinping practises closing ranks with North Korea. Shortly beforehand, China's president also met Trump and Putin. What do the meetings reveal about Beijing's ambitions for a new world order?
Xi Jinping does not like traveling. Since the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese president's official state visits can hardly be counted on two hands. The fact that his first foreign trip of the year is now to North Korea, of all places, is a profound surprise.
The country, which is economically dependent on China, plays a decisive role in Xi's ambitions to break the dominance of the West and establish a multipolar world order.
However, the once close relations with the socialist brother state under ruler Kim Jong Un have recently suffered. This is not least due to North Korea's increasing rapprochement with Moscow - at the latest since Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine. North Korea had sent over 10,000 soldiers to fight for Russia there. The country also supplies large quantities of ammunition and artillery shells. Moscow and Pyongyang even signed a mutual defense treaty in 2024.
The Chinese president is now trying to forge closer ties with its only official ally. There was certainly no sign of weakening relations at Xi Jinping's reception - Kim gave his guest a demonstratively warm welcome. The grand welcome ceremony on Kim Il-sung Square was attended by thousands - children cheered on the heads of state.
"No matter how the international situation changes", China will uphold its traditional friendship and support Kim in guiding North Korea's socialist course, said Xi. He also held out the prospect of closer cooperation in areas such as the economy, trade and science. Kim, meanwhile, described the relationship as "unbreakable".
Pyongyang plays an important geopolitical role for China. The country serves as a buffer zone both against South Korea with the US troops stationed there, but also against Russia - a historical rival despite the current good relations. Beijing also wants to keep North Korea economically dependent.
What is particularly striking about Xi's visit, however, is what is not on the agenda: North Korea's nuclear ambitions, which have long been eyed critically by China despite the close alliance. However, this has long been a thing of the past.
Just the day before the state visit, North Korea once again clearly rejected diplomatic efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament. Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of ruler Kim Jong Un, described the country's status as a nuclear weapons state as an "irreversible reality". No critical voices were heard from Beijing. That was different just a few years ago.
North Korea is a crucial piece of the puzzle in Xi's ambition to break the dominance of the USA. The president is striving for a multipolar world order under authoritarian auspices, in which the major powers USA, China and Russia divide their spheres of influence among themselves.
Putin, whom Xi met around three weeks ago, is also pursuing the same goal. This exchange was also remarkably cordial. Among other things, the two agreed to further intensify military cooperation. After the signing ceremony, Xi declared that relations were at the "highest level of a comprehensive strategic partnership". He called on both countries to oppose "any unilateral harassment" at international level.
Brothers in spirit: Russian President Vladimir Putin (r) and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Maxim Stulov/Pool Sputnik Kremlin/AP/dpa (Archivbild)
They were referring to their great rival on the other side of the Pacific. Together, the two heads of state accused the USA of undermining global stability. In particular, they strongly condemned the plan to develop a missile defense system called "Golden Dome".
In order to realize their ambitions, Xi and Putin are dependent on each other - the military dominance of the USA is too great, with the war in Ukraine once again playing a central role. Beijing is officially neutral in the conflict, but continues to conduct joint military exercises with Moscow. There are also numerous indications of covert Chinese support.
Not only did China once again refrain from calling for an end to the war. Instead, the joint declaration states that the "original causes of the Ukrainian crisis" must be eliminated. By this, Moscow's propaganda refers to Ukraine's desired rapprochement with the West, in particular its desire to join the Western military alliance NATO.
US President Donald Trump visited President Xi Jinping in Beijing in mid-May.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP Pool/AP/dpa (Archivbild)
A week before the meeting with Putin, Xi met Donald Trump. Although there were few tangible results from the summit, according to the US President, North Korea was also discussed. Following the meeting, there was speculation that Trump may have asked Xi to pass on a message to Kim. The US president had previously repeatedly stated that he would like to meet the North Korean leader again.
In recent years, Beijing and Washington have moved away from their previous front against Kim's nuclear ambitions, long one of the few things the two superpowers had in common. "Xi Jinping could encourage Kim Jong Un to meet with Trump," said Asia expert Bonnie Glaser from the US think tank German Marshall Fund to Der Spiegel.
However, Xi also used the state visit to issue a clear warning to Trump: if the Taiwan issue is handled badly, it could lead to tensions or even conflict between the two countries. This could put relations between China and the USA in an "extremely dangerous situation".
Statements like these reflect China's increasing military self-confidence. The country has been massively arming itself for years, both conventionally and with nuclear weapons. If Beijing wants to implement its plans in the Indo-Pacific and worldwide, it must catch up with the USA militarily.
