When Chinese President Xi Jinping touched down in Pyongyang this week for his first foreign trip of 2025, most observers assumed China was doing the favor. Turns out, according to analysts cited by the South China Morning Post, Kim Jong-un may have quietly pocketed the bigger prize.
Analysts say the visit handed Kim a "big strategic win" - boosting his international standing at a moment when North Korea has been making some eyebrow-raising foreign policy moves. Pyongyang has spent the last few years cuddling up to Russia, reportedly sending thousands of troops to fight in Ukraine on behalf of Moscow. That little detail had not exactly been great for North Korea's image in the eyes of, well, most of the world.
Why this visit matters more than it looks
Xi's trip did something no amount of Pyongyang state propaganda could manufacture on its own: it signaled to the international community that China - North Korea's most important neighbor and economic lifeline - still considers the relationship worth nurturing publicly. Xi choosing Pyongyang as his first overseas destination of the year is not a small thing. Leaders do not pick their first trip randomly. It sends a message.
According to the South China Morning Post, the visit reinforced the deep economic and cultural ties between the two countries, ties that have existed for decades but have occasionally been strained as North Korea drifted closer to Russia's orbit in recent years.
The Russia problem, quietly papered over
Kim's growing bromance with Vladimir Putin had started raising uncomfortable questions about where North Korea's true loyalties lie. By rolling out the red carpet for Xi - and having Xi actually show up - both sides managed to send a clear signal: the China-North Korea axis is alive, functional, and not about to be replaced by a Pyongyang-Moscow axis, at least not officially.
For Kim, this is diplomatic gold. He gets to look like a leader with options, with allies, and with enough clout to attract the attention of the world's second-largest economy. For a country under heavy international sanctions, that image alone carries real weight.
The bottom line
Xi came, he visited, and Kim conquered - at least in terms of optics. Whether the visit translates into any concrete economic relief or security guarantees for North Korea remains unclear based on currently available reporting. But in the theater of geopolitics, looking like you have powerful friends is sometimes half the battle.
Analysts, as reported by the South China Morning Post, suggest Kim emerged from this summit looking considerably less isolated than he did going in. Not bad for a guy who barely leaves the country.
