Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrive at a state reception in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of China's "Victory Day." TASS-YonhapSEOUL, September 23 (AJP) - With Chinese President Xi Jinping set to visit South Korea for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit late next month, experts are speculating on a possible breakthrough in inter-Korean relations.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's upcoming meeting with Xi will, in particular, test his diplomatic skills amid a complex geopolitical landscape, as Beijing restored relations with its traditional ally following the isolated country's deepening military ties with Russia.
Late last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended China's large-scale military parade in Beijing, where he appeared alongside Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the first time in 66 years that the leaders of the three countries, historically linked by Cold War-era ties, shared the same stage.
Shortly after, Xi sent a congratulatory message to mark North Korea's 77th founding anniversary earlier this month, and Kim replied with a letter on Sunday, reaffirming his country's commitment to stronger ties with China.
Kim and Xi met several times between 2018 and 2019, but they became somewhat alienated when the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020, while North Korea deepened its military ties with Russia.
Beijing, which had kept a cautious distance from the heavily sanctioned regime, now appears to be regaining momentum in bilateral relations, with the two leader’s meeting in Beijing for the first time in more than six years.
A bilateral summit between Xi and Trump is highly likely, though it has yet to be confirmed, leaving the prospect of diplomacy between the world's two major powers hanging over the gathering.
For Beijing, closer ties with Pyongyang would give it an upper hand in talks with Washington.
"North Korea–related issues hold strategic importance amid intensifying rivalry between the world's two powers," Jun Byoung-kon, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, told AJP on Tuesday.
He added that if dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang resumes, China might want to leverage its ties with Pyongyang to avoid being sidelined in North Korea–related negotiations with the U.S.
With complex challenges lying ahead for Seoul amid global power politics, renewed ties between Beijing and Pyongyang could further weaken UN sanctions and complicate inter-Korean dialogue.
Jun said South Korea's role has become "much more difficult, far more complex," but argued that Seoul could still act as a mediator between Beijing and Washington.
Lee Dong Gyu, a research fellow at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said that while Seoul cannot directly shape Washington's talks with the North, it would be able to "create conditions" for dialogue between Washington and Beijing.
reporter
Cheon Soram
cheons@ajupress.com
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