The whispers from Pyongyang have become a roar. Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea. A rare visit. A signal. The first Chinese leader in 14 years to set foot in the capital of the Hermit Kingdom. This is not a courtesy call. This is a statement.
Here is the game. The White House is fumbling. The G7 is fracturing. And now, Beijing and Pyongyang are closing ranks. The timing is everything. It comes as the US pushes for UN sanctions. It comes as Moon Jae-in begs for dialogue. It comes as the world watches a new axis form.
The meeting itself is a masterstroke. Xi gets to play the statesman. Kim gets the legitimacy he craves. Both get to thumb their noses at Washington. The optics are deliberate. The handshake will be a headline. The joint statement will be parsed for every nuance.
But what is the substance? Here is the smart money. Expect a pledge of 'strategic coordination.' Expect talk of 'irreversible peace.' Expect the Chinese to offer economic lifelines. The North needs cash. The South needs stability. China needs a buffer. Everyone gets what they want. Except the Americans.
There are risks. The last time a Chinese leader visited Pyongyang, the world was a different place. 2005. George Bush was president. Kim Jong Il was alive. The six-party talks were a going concern. Now? Kim Jong Un is a nuclear power. The talks are dead. And Xi is betting that he can manage the fallout.
Watch for the leaks. The Foreign Office is nervous. The State Department is scrambling. The Japanese are apoplectic. This is not a diplomatic breakthrough. This is a realignment. And it is happening in plain sight.
The cabal is forming. Xi and Kim. A marriage of convenience. Authoritarian solidarity. The West looks on, powerless. The next few weeks will reveal the true agenda. But one thing is clear: the game has changed.
