Fallout of Kim's Beijing visit
2 April 2018 3:23 PM GMT
If North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was so far known as the aggressive mystery man, he has certainly emerged as a new, friendlier avatar after his recent visit to Beijing. Sans doubt, his visit also confirmed China's influence in the Korean peninsula. While the Winter Olympics diplomacy had certainly yielded the expected results, Kim has certainly been making the right moves after the visit of the South Korean delegation to Pyongyang. But, as the North Korean leader successfully departed the Chinese capital after concluding his first foreign visit, there is still mystery on precisely what he might have discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping and how it may affect the future of the region. But there is no gainsaying that the official visit made by Kim Jong-un to the Chinese capital reminded everyone that things are not being done on the Korean Peninsula without China's say-so. When China supported international sanctions imposed against North Korea, some experts speculated that Beijing no longer considered Pyongyang its ally. Now, however, it turns out that things are exactly the opposite: China remains an important and respected player in the region and North Korea does not publicly hold any grudges against China. Kim Jong-un came to Beijing, shook hands with Xi Jinping and discussed future plans with him, including apparently both countries' stances on the upcoming summits with South Korea and the United States. While Kim's visit appears to have been an unexpected development for the international community,it was actually a very logical thing.
An inter-Korean summit is scheduled to be held in April and a top level US-North Korean meeting is expected to be held in May. Prior to these events North Korea decided to consult its neighbour about these matters. It is natural and it is also Kim Jong-un's first foreign visit since he assumed power; he simply followed the example of the previous North Korean leaders, who chose China as their first foreign destination. A relatively mature and sensible Kim Jong-un also managed to show the world that he is capable of making swift and calculated decisions, as the results of his talks with Xi Jinping disprove claims about North Korea allegedly being completely dependent on China. During a banquet held in the Chinese capital, Kim stated that it was his "solemn duty" to make Beijing his first overseas destination and invited Xi to make an official visit to Pyongyang "at a convenient time", an invitation that "was accepted with pleasure." Now it remains to be seen whether at the Grand Summit with the U.S., both China and South Korea would be present. More importantly, could China be the hosts for the forthcoming historic event?
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