What's happened
China and North Korea reaffirm their strategic partnership through high-level meetings, following Kim Jong Un’s recent summit with Xi Jinping and joint appearances at a Beijing military parade. The meetings emphasize mutual opposition to US influence and regional stability concerns, with China seeking to bolster its regional alliances amid ongoing geopolitical shifts. Today's date & time: Tue, 14 Oct 2025 15:06:07 +0100.
What's behind the headline?
China’s recent diplomatic moves with North Korea serve multiple strategic purposes. The reaffirmation of ties, highlighted by Kim’s attendance at the Beijing parade and the joint statements, signals China’s intent to strengthen regional influence and counterbalance US and South Korean alliances. The meetings also suggest China’s desire to project stability and unity among socialist allies amid broader geopolitical turbulence. The emphasis on opposing 'hegemonism' and promoting multilateral cooperation indicates China’s broader strategy to challenge US dominance in the region. The potential for Xi Jinping to attend North Korea’s upcoming military parade further underscores China’s commitment to maintaining close ties, which could influence regional security dynamics and North Korea’s missile and military development programs. This alignment may also serve as a counterweight to US efforts to deepen military cooperation with Japan and South Korea, as well as US engagement with Taiwan. Overall, these developments will likely reinforce China’s regional influence and complicate US strategic planning, with long-term implications for stability and diplomacy in East Asia.
What the papers say
Contrasting perspectives emerge from the sources. The South China Morning Post emphasizes the strategic alliance and regional implications, highlighting China’s efforts to deepen ties with North Korea as a counterbalance to US influence. They note Xi’s reaffirmation of support and the importance of bilateral cooperation in regional stability. Conversely, the AP News article underscores the broader geopolitical context, including the potential for a three-way alliance involving Russia, China, and North Korea against US influence, but also points to uncertainties about how far China will go in supporting North Korea’s military ambitions. The article suggests that while China’s support is clear, its ultimate intentions remain ambiguous, especially given North Korea’s deepening security ties with Moscow. Both sources agree on the significance of the recent high-level meetings, but differ in their emphasis—one focusing on regional stability and influence, the other on the strategic ambiguity and potential for escalation. This divergence highlights the complexity of China-North Korea relations and their impact on regional security, with the US and its allies closely watching these developments.
How we got here
Recent high-level exchanges between China and North Korea follow Kim Jong Un’s first summit with Xi Jinping in over six years, where they pledged mutual support and cooperation. The meetings occurred alongside North Korea’s attendance at China’s Victory Day parade, signaling close diplomatic ties despite regional tensions. China aims to maintain influence over North Korea amid shifting regional alliances, especially as North Korea deepens its security links with Russia and seeks to counter US and South Korean influence.
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China, officially the People's Republic of China, is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population of around 1.4 billion in 2019.
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Xi Jinping is a Chinese politician serving as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China, president of the People's Republic of China, and chairman of the Central Military Commission.
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North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.
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Wang Yi is a Chinese diplomat and politician. He formerly served as China's Vice Foreign Minister, Ambassador to Japan and Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office. He has served as the Foreign Minister since March 2013 and a State Councilor since March 2018
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Kim Jong-un is a North Korean politician who has been the supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 and chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea since 2012.
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The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country mostly located in central North America, between Canada and Mexico.
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Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, previously holding the position from 1999 until 2008.
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South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea.
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Lee Jae-myung is a South Korean politician and attorney who has been serving as Governor of Gyeonggi Province since 2018. Prior to this, he served as Mayor of Seongnam, the tenth largest city in South Korea, from 2010 to 2018.