N. Korea-China Summit

[Anchor Lead]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping this week wrapped up a third summit this year. Their close contact is signaling warming ties between the neighbors and allies. Economic cooperation between the two countries is drawing particular attention.
​​
[Pkg]

With every meeting between the leaders of North Korea and China, the two countries' bilateral economic cooperation seems to grow stronger. During his latest trip to China, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un toured an agricultural research institution and a railway traffic control center. Kim's move is construed to seek China's investment in the North's basic infrastructure to help improve its aged railway facilities and solve food shortages. Another reason to support this is the fact that Kim was accompanied by a large team of North Korean officials in charge of economic development during his trip to China. The Chinese government also appears to be stepping up efforts to bolster economic cooperation with North Korea to prepare for the opening of the North Korean market after denuclearization. Once the denuclearization process gets started, China and Russia will likely demand that the U.N. sanctions against North Korea be eased or even lifted, which is essential for economic cooperation. Kim Jong-un's visit to China shortly after the Singapore summit demonstrates yet again Beijing's unwavering influence on Pyongyang. Kim's latest trip to China at a critical time for Pyongyang's talks with Washington is believed to be aimed at maximizing the China effect.