China/North Korea-Lips And Teeth

CHINA/NORTH KOREA

Lips and Teeth

Mao Zedong once said that even in the worst of times, China and North Korea were as close as “lips to teeth.”

After a trying few years, that credo is showing itself to be true once again, as evidenced by North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un’s surprise visit to Beijing last week and the warm welcomeprovided him by President Xi Jinping.

But as North Korea prepares for rounds of rapprochement and denuclearization talks with both South Korea and the United States in the coming months, there’s more at play behind the façade of warming relations between Pyongyang and Beijing.

Following dialogue between North and South Korea after the Olympic Games in PyeongChang and the meeting of envoys in Pyongyang that ensued, Kim extended an offer to US President Donald Trump to discuss a possible denuclearization deal on the Korean Peninsula, which Trump quickly accepted.

Going to Beijing in light of such developments is Kim’s way of guarding his flank ahead of those talks and bolstering his stature on the world stage, writes Al Jazeera. For one, China is North Korea’s greatest benefactor. Ninety percent of North Korea’s trade is with China, and shoring up relations preserves this lifeline.

Moreover, the two nations have similar interests in decreasing US presence in the region. Now that a meeting between Trump and Kim is in the works, better relations with China allows North Korea a bit of insurance ahead of the meeting, reportedly slated for May, the Guardian wrote.

For China, Kim’s visit solidifies China’s role as a major player in any discussions going forward. China has a lot riding on North Korea’s acceptance in the global community – it doesn’t want to be dragged into a war on the peninsula. At the same time, it wants to preserve North Korea as a buffer between it and the roughly 30,000 American troops stationed in the south, the Atlantic reported.

The rejuvenated marriage between China and North Korea helped both leaders bolster their stature at home, the New York Times reported. But it also puts pressure on the White House to get its act together ahead of the talks.

The Trump administration has credited Kim’s visit to China as a “positive sign” that its hardline stance against North Korea over the past months is bearing fruit, wrote the Independent.

But others say the meeting solidifies North Korea’s side ahead of the talks. Conversely, Trump’s ouster in quick succession of key advisors in favor of those who advocate for preemptive strikesagainst North Korea heightens the risk of spoiling the moment, New York Magazine wrote.

One thing’s for sure about lips and teeth – they may be close, but they can also bite.