Why Kim Jong-un’s border trip to China differs from past pre-summit playbooks

AI Summary

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made an unannounced visit to Dandong, China, recalling earlier trips that preceded his meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump. Analysts say the visit may resemble past summit preparations but differs in its strategic focus.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday echoed the intense coordination that preceded his previous summits with US President Donald Trump. Between March 2018 and June 2019, Kim met Chinese President Xi Jinping five times across Beijing, Dalian and Pyongyang, and three of those occasions happened not long before his summits with Trump. Yet, while Saturday’s unannounced visit appeared superficially similar, analysts said the strategic focus had...