Why it’s harder for China to keep North Korea in line
A growing nuclear arsenal and closer Russian ties have strengthened Pyongyang’s position.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) seeing off Chinese President Xi Jinping after Xi’s visit to North Korea on June 8, 2026. Compared with Xi’s last visit in 2019, Kim is now in a significantly stronger position, says the writer.
PHOTO: AFP
Karishma Vaswani
“As close as lips and teeth” is how Mao Zedong famously described China’s ties with North Korea.
President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang was a reminder that the old saying – which captures shared history and geographic proximity – still holds. But it also revealed something else: North Korea has become a far more difficult partner for China to manage.
