North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's visit to China appears designed to publicly showcase the two countries' alliance rather than to lay groundwork for a summit with the United States, a North Korea expert said.
In an analysis titled "Assessing and Forecasting Kim Jong Un's Abrupt Visit to China," published by a media outlet on the 24th, Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the trip was "an event in which the top leaders reaffirm the traditional alliance, timed to the 65th anniversary of the North Korea-China treaty of friendship and cooperation and China's commemoration day for its entry into the Korean War on the 25th."
Lim pointed in particular to Kim's use of the recently opened New Yalu River Bridge to travel to China. "By crossing the New Yalu River Bridge himself, Kim symbolically demonstrated to the international community the two countries' commitment to developing friendly ties and cooperation," he said. He added that "if it turns out to be a same-day visit, it appears the trip will achieve no more than symbolic aims."
Lim said the visit also serves to show the international community that Kim can travel to China and communicate directly with its top leadership whenever he deems it necessary. The intent, he said, is to highlight how closely the two countries are aligned.
He saw little chance, however, that a North Korea-U.S. summit would be taken up during the trip. "It does not appear likely that a North Korea-U.S. summit would figure prominently in discussions during such a short visit," he said. "Even if it comes up, it will most likely remain at the level of general principles."