DANDONG/SEOUL/SINGAPORE ¨C When Kim Jong Un arrived by armored train in Beijing for a military parade in September, the pageantry signaled a thaw in one of the world¡¯s most important relationships after several years of frosty ties.
Behind the spectacle of tanks and fighter jets, North Korea¡¯s leader brought a senior economic team to talk trade and investment. Five weeks later, Chinese Premier Li Qiang reciprocated in Pyongyang, and China¡¯s ambassador declared both countries were ¡°writing a new chapter.¡±
For China, the mission is clear: reassert its traditional influence over a neighbor that has drawn closer to Russia since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. North Korea has supplied troops and weapons to Moscow in exchange for fuel and food to shore up an economy hobbled by U.N. sanctions over its nuclear-weapons program.
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