Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting North Korea from June 8th to 9th, aiming to counterbalance Russian influence in the country and reassert China's clout as North Korea's primary economic partner.
The visit comes as North Korea's nuclear program has advanced significantly, with the country now producing enough fissile material for an additional 10-20 warheads annually, according to South Korean officials.
China's tacit acceptance of North Korea's nuclear status has become clear, with President Xi's back-to-back summits with US President Trump and Russian President Putin in May this year making no mention of denuclearisation.
China hopes to complicate American military planning in the region, exploit tensions between South Korea and the US, and gain access to the Sea of Japan via North Korea.
However, the big question now is what US President Trump could offer to bring North Korean leader Kim Jong Un back to the negotiating table, with Mr Kim insisting that the US must explicitly drop its denuclearisation demand for talks to resume.
