China Re-Enters the Korean Field of Play

The dynamic on the Korean Peninsula is changing and China is working quickly to restore its position by reshaping its strained relations with both North and South Korea. Following days of heightened speculation about who was aboard a mystery train that traveled from Pyongyang to Beijing, China confirmed on March 28 that it hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week. It was Kim's first trip outside North Korea since he came into power in 2011, and his visit to Beijing reinforced the perception that the North Korean leader would visit China before meeting with any other foreign leader. With a banquet for Kim in the Great Hall of the People and lavish words in state media, Chinese President Xi Jinping reminded those involved in the fluid situation on the Korean Peninsula that, tensions aside, Sino-North Korean relations are still strong and that Beijing will not watch as a...