We choose this relationship, not because we must, but because we believe in it.
At a moment when North Korea's soldiers are fighting in Ukraine and its diplomats are courting Moscow, Kim Jong Un has sent a message to Xi Jinping reaffirming that Beijing remains the irreplaceable center of Pyongyang's world. The occasion — the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party's founding — offered a ceremonial frame for what is, in practice, a declaration of strategic dependency: China supplies nearly all of North Korea's foreign trade, and no partnership with Russia changes that arithmetic. What emerges is a portrait of a small, isolated state navigating a multipolar moment by holding tightly to every alliance it has, even when those alliances pull in different directions.
- Kim Jong Un's congratulatory message to Xi Jinping was not mere ceremony — it was a signal that Pyongyang intends to deepen its most essential relationship even as it courts Moscow with troops and treaties.
- The June summit in Pyongyang, Xi's first visit in nearly seven years, produced language of unusual intensity — 'unshakeable will,' 'far-reaching blueprint' — suggesting both sides are deliberately resetting the terms of their alliance.
- With China accounting for 98% of North Korea's foreign trade, the economic dependency beneath the ideological rhetoric is total, giving Beijing enormous quiet leverage over Pyongyang's choices.
- North Korean soldiers are now fighting and dying in Ukraine, and two captured troops have expressed a desire to defect to South Korea — a human thread pulling at the seams of the Pyongyang-Moscow-Beijing triangle.
- South Korea and Ukraine are quietly negotiating the fate of these prisoners, with Seoul insisting its constitution already makes North Korean soldiers its own nationals, adding a legal and moral dimension to what is also a geopolitical chess match.
Kim Jong Un sent a congratulatory message to Xi Jinping this week marking the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party's founding, using the occasion to signal that North Korea intends to draw closer to Beijing. Released through state media, the message described last month's summit between the two leaders as a historic turning point and framed the bilateral relationship as rooted in shared socialist ideology and mutual trust.
The summit — held June 8 and 9 in Pyongyang, Xi's first visit in nearly seven years — produced what North Korean state media called a 'far-reaching blueprint' for deepening ties. Kim described it as 'a historic occasion of deepening comradely friendship,' calling the relationship 'the common wealth of the peoples of the two countries.' The economic reality behind the rhetoric is unambiguous: China accounts for roughly 98 percent of North Korea's foreign trade, making it the indispensable partner no other alignment can replace.
This reaffirmation of the Beijing-Pyongyang axis comes even as North Korea has moved sharply closer to Russia, signing a strategic defense agreement that has sent thousands of its troops to fight in Ukraine. The Xi visit and Kim's message suggest Pyongyang is determined to hold both relationships simultaneously — Russia for military solidarity, China for economic survival.
Meanwhile, the human consequences of North Korea's Russian entanglement are surfacing in unexpected places. Ukraine's foreign minister traveled to Seoul this week to discuss, among other things, the fate of North Korean soldiers captured on the battlefield. Two such prisoners have reportedly expressed a wish to defect to South Korea. Seoul has said it would accept them, citing a constitutional position that North Korean nationals are already South Korean citizens. Officials from both countries indicated that a basic understanding had been reached, with further progress expected from this week's talks — a quiet negotiation sitting at the intersection of three nations' interests and one war's unfinished human accounting.
Kim Jong Un sent a message to Xi Jinping this week marking the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party's founding, and in doing so, he made clear that North Korea intends to keep drawing closer to Beijing. The congratulatory note, released through North Korea's state news agency on Wednesday, framed the relationship between the two countries as rooted in shared socialist ideology and described a summit between the leaders last month as a turning point in their bilateral ties.
The summit in question took place on June 8 and 9 in Pyongyang—Xi's first visit to North Korea in nearly seven years. During those two days, the leaders adopted what North Korean state media called a "far-reaching blueprint" for deepening what they characterized as "the most powerful and strategic relations." In his message, Kim said the recent gathering represented "a historic occasion of deepening the comradely friendship and trust between us" and that both sides had reaffirmed their commitment to advancing the relationship. He described North Korea-China ties as "the common wealth of the peoples of the two countries," language that underscores how central Beijing is to Pyongyang's strategic calculus.
The economic reality backing up this rhetoric is stark. China accounts for nearly 98 percent of North Korea's foreign trade, according to South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance, making it by far the country's most important economic partner. This remains true even as North Korea has moved dramatically closer to Russia in recent years, signing a strategic defense agreement that has resulted in thousands of North Korean troops being deployed to fight in Russia's war in Ukraine. The Xi visit and Kim's subsequent message suggest that despite this Russian alignment, Pyongyang is intent on maintaining and strengthening its relationship with China, which provides the economic lifeline the isolated nation depends on.
During Xi's time in Pyongyang, Chinese state media reported that the Chinese president pushed for closer cooperation across diplomatic, law enforcement, and military channels. The language both sides used—"unshakeable will," "historic occasion," "far-reaching blueprint"—signals that this is not routine diplomacy but rather a deliberate effort to reset and deepen ties at a moment when regional tensions are high and North Korea's military role in global affairs has become more visible.
Separately, the question of North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces has become a point of diplomatic discussion. Ukraine's foreign minister traveled to Seoul this week to meet with his South Korean counterpart to discuss bilateral relations and the fate of North Korean prisoners of war. According to reporting, two North Korean soldiers captured in 2025 have indicated they would like to defect to South Korea if released by Ukraine. South Korea's government has said it would accept any such prisoners, arguing that North Korean troops are "constitutionally regarded as South Korean nationals." A senior South Korean official said earlier this month that Seoul and Kyiv had already reached a basic understanding on the issue and hoped to make progress during this week's talks. The matter sits at the intersection of three countries' interests—Ukraine's need to manage its prisoners, North Korea's concern about its soldiers' fate, and South Korea's long-standing policy of accepting North Korean defectors.
Citas Notables
It is the steadfast stand of our Party and government to steadily develop the DPRK-China friendly relations with long and historical roots and with socialism as their core.— Kim Jong Un, in message to Xi Jinping
The recent Pyongyang summit was a historic occasion of deepening the comradely friendship and trust between us.— Kim Jong Un
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why does Kim bother sending congratulatory messages to Xi at all? Isn't the relationship already locked in?
Because relationships, even between authoritarian states, require constant reaffirmation. Kim is signaling to his own people, to China, and to the world that this partnership is not transactional—it's ideological, rooted in shared socialism. It's a way of saying: we choose this.
But North Korea just got much closer to Russia. Doesn't that undermine the China message?
Not necessarily. North Korea is playing a delicate game. Russia provides military support and a counterweight to Western pressure. China provides the economic oxygen. Kim needs both, so he's publicly reassuring Beijing that economic dependence hasn't made him a satellite.
The 98 percent trade figure is remarkable. What does that actually mean for North Korea's survival?
It means China can strangle the economy with a phone call. Every piece of fuel, food, machinery—nearly all of it flows through Beijing. That's why Kim has to keep Xi happy, no matter what else he's doing.
What about those North Korean soldiers wanting to defect to South Korea? How does that complicate things?
It's a crack in the narrative. If North Korean troops start choosing the South, it undermines the regime's control and morale. Seoul is quietly positioning itself to accept them, which is both humanitarian and a subtle way of saying: your soldiers don't want to be there.
So this message from Kim—is it strength or desperation?
It's both. Kim is strong enough to deploy troops globally, but desperate enough that he has to keep reassuring his largest economic partner that he hasn't abandoned them. That's the position he's actually in.