Sources confirm that Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Pyongyang for a state visit. UK officials are privately warning that the move risks emboldening Kim Jong Un's regime. Uncovered diplomatic cables reveal British concerns that Beijing is leveraging its relationship with North Korea to extract trade concessions from the West.
'This is a dangerous game,' one Foreign Office insider told me. 'They are using the threat of instability to weaken sanctions.' The visit, the first by a Chinese leader since 2005, comes amid stalled denuclearisation talks.
Critics accuse China of shielding North Korea from accountability. Follow the money: Chinese state banks continue to facilitate trade with the Hermit Kingdom, despite UN resolutions. The UK is now pushing for tougher enforcement.
But with Xi photographed shaking hands with Kim, the optics could not be worse. One thing is clear: the West's leverage is evaporating, and Beijing knows it.
