Sources within British intelligence have confirmed that MI6 is closely monitoring Xi Jinping’s state visit to North Korea, the first by a Chinese leader in 14 years. The trip, billed as a gesture of friendship, is viewed by analysts as a calculated move to tighten Beijing’s grip on a nuclear-armed neighbour while Washington looks on nervously.
A senior intelligence source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told this reporter: “Xi is not going to Pyongyang for the scenery. This is about leverage. China needs North Korea as a buffer against US forces in the region, but they also need to keep Kim’s nuclear ambitions on a leash. It’s a dangerous dance.”
The visit comes amid stalled denuclearisation talks between the US and North Korea. Kim Jong Un has made no secret of his desire for sanctions relief, something only China and Russia can deliver at the UN Security Council. But Xi’s price is likely to be continued loyalty to Beijing’s strategic interests.
Internal documents from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, obtained by this newspaper, outline a strategy of “mutual dependence” with North Korea. One memo, dated three weeks ago, states: “The DPRK must understand that its economic survival depends on Chinese goodwill. We will offer infrastructure investment and energy supplies in exchange for assurances on border stability and denuclearisation timeline.”
But experts warn that Xi’s embrace of Kim risks empowering a regime that has repeatedly violated UN sanctions. The same intelligence source added: “There’s a real danger that Xi’s visit will be used by Kim to project legitimacy and fracture the international coalition against his weapons programme. The British assessment is that this is a net negative for global security.”
Downing Street has remained publicly silent on the visit, but behind closed doors, officials are scrambling to assess the implications. A Foreign Office briefing note, leaked to this newspaper, states: “We should expect no concrete outcomes on denuclearisation. The Chinese will frame this as a success for regional diplomacy. Our task is to ensure allies do not mistake a photo opportunity for a breakthrough.”
Meanwhile, US intelligence has reportedly detected unusual activity at North Korea’s main nuclear site, the Yongbyon complex. Satellite imagery suggests the regime may be preparing to test a new missile engine. The timing, coinciding with Xi’s visit, is unlikely to be a coincidence.
For Xi, the trip is also about domestic optics. He needs to project an image of China as a global power broker capable of managing crises. But the risk of being seen as legitimising a pariah state is high. The British assessment is clear: Xi’s friendship with Kim is a transactional arrangement, not an alliance. And in the murky world of great power politics, that makes him just another player in a dangerous game.
As one former MI6 officer put it: “Xi is walking a tightrope. If he pushes Kim too hard, he loses influence. If he doesn’t push at all, he emboldens a madman. British intelligence will be watching every handshake and every closed-door meeting for the tell that reveals whose puppet is whose.”
