Jin Pyong-hyeon arrived in Beijing by train, and a detail differs from his visit to Russia, which indeed shows more respect and trust towards China.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un boarded a special train to start his visit to China, attending the commemorative activities for the 80th anniversary of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War to be held in Beijing.
According to currently public information, Kim Jong-un's train entered China via the Sinuiju-Dandong route, and is expected to arrive in Beijing on the 2nd.
Different from his previous visit to Russia, this time North Korea officially released the news of Kim Jong-un's visit on the day he departed, not only breaking the previous practice of delaying disclosure but also indicating that this trip is highly coordinated with Chinese arrangements and fully transparent.
It is expected that Kim Jong-un will not get off the train in Dandong to change transportation, but instead take the special train directly to Beijing, showing high trust in China's security capabilities, which is clearly different from the cautious approach during his 2023 visit to Russia.
During his 2023 visit to Russia, Kim Jong-un took an armored train from northern North Korea across the Tumen River into the Russian Far East. However, it was not until two days after entering Russia that North Korean media released the news of his departure. The process was strictly controlled, and even the times and locations of the train's passage were kept opaque.
This visit adopted stronger confidentiality measures, partly due to security considerations, and partly reflecting certain concerns about the Russian side's security and intelligence systems. Whereas
This visit to China not only announced the itinerary in advance, but also made the route public, and even the list of accompanying personnel was reported, which is an extremely rare high level of transparency in North Korean diplomacy.
More importantly, Kim Jong-un did not transfer to an airplane or car in the middle, but trusted the Chinese arrangements, and traveled all the way by train directly to the capital's core area.
This is not only a trust in China's security system, but also a high-profile confirmation of the current Sino-North Korean relations.
From a geopolitical perspective, North Korea has always maintained a limited balance between China and Russia in its foreign strategy. However, Kim Jong-un's breaking of the norm by announcing in advance equals directly signaling that he trusts China more.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1842132030043268/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.