A Cold Alliance: Beijing–Pyongyang Relations in the Xi Jinping Era

Publication Date

1-1-2026

Document Type

Contribution to a Book

Publication Title

Xis China and Its Neighbors Historical Perspectives

DOI

10.4324/9781003709961-4

First Page

49

Last Page

69

Abstract

This chapter traces the evolution of Sino-North Korean relations from their historical foundations to the present day, with a particular focus on the Xi Jinping era. It examines the increasingly complex dynamics between two formally allied yet progressively divergent regimes. Beginning with the ideological solidarity of Mao Zedong and Kim Il-sung, rooted in shared revolutionary credentials and wartime cooperation, the relationship gradually shifted under Deng Xiaoping and Kim Jong-il toward strategic recalibration. Deng’s economic liberalization and diplomatic outreach to South Korea clashed with Kim’s intensification of military-first politics and pursuit of nuclear weapons, straining bilateral trust. Under Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, Beijing viewed Pyongyang less as a fraternal ally and more as a volatile neighbor, maintaining economic ties while prioritizing regional stability. The rise of Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un ushered in a new phase marked by strategic ambivalence: Xi initially pressured North Korea over its nuclear provocations but later re-engaged diplomatically, as Kim leveraged summit diplomacy and great power rivalries to bolster his regime’s legitimacy. More recently, North Korea’s growing alignment with Russia has further tested the limits of the relationship. This chapter argues that while the rhetoric of “blood-sealed friendship” endures, the bilateral bond has become transactional: driven less by ideology than by shifting power dynamics, evolving leadership priorities, and the broader geopolitical calculus in East Asia.

Department

History

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