This is Kim’s fourth visit to China in less than a year. He visited China thrice in the past year. China is North Korea’s most important trading partner and a key buffer against pressure from Washington.
This visit comes after US and North Korean officials had met in Vietnam to discuss the location of a second summit between Kim and Trump. The two had met in last June in Singapore for the first time. In his annual New Year’s speech last week, Kim had said that he was committed to denuclearisation, but only if US lifts its sanctions.
On the other hand, the visit is important for Kim too. The US has kept the pressures on North Korea by way of sanctions, which it has not eased even after the historic meet, till it denuclearizes totally . But this pressure Kim detests and has warned the US recently that his country is not going to yield to US strong-arm tactics.
So the timing for this visit remains a poignant move and gives both China and North Korea some muscle in dealing with the US
