Kim Jong-un’s Big Win: Xi’s Visit Boosts North Korea’s Status

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea this week handed Kim Jong-un a “big strategic win” and boosted his international standing, analysts say. Although Pyongyang has grown closer to Russia in recent years and sent thousands of troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, Xi’s trip reinforced the long-standing economic and cultural ties between China and North Korea. The visit was Xi’s first foreign trip of the year and came less than a month after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.