A Chinese military court handed suspended death sentences on Thursday to two former defence ministers for corruption, state media said.

They are the harshest sentences that Beijing has slapped on high-ranking military officials as part of President Xi Jinping’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign.

Wei Fenghe and Li Shangfu’s sentences will be “commuted to life imprisonment” after a two-year reprieve, the Xinhua state news agency reported.

See also: Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun under investigation for corruption – report

The ex-ministers, who served between 2018 and 2023, were also former members of China’s powerful Central Military Commission, which oversees the military, and frequently appeared on television.

Wei was convicted of accepting bribes and Li was convicted of accepting and offering bribes, Xinhua said.

The pair were also stripped of their political rights for life as well as their personal property.

By AFP teams in Tehran, Dubai, Beijing and Mecca

US forces launched overnight strikes on missile sites in southern Iran and boats they said were trying to lay mines in Gulf waters, sending oil prices higher Tuesday and fuelling tension as diplomats sought a deal to end the war.

The international benchmark Brent crude jumped up by almost three percent after the US Central Command announced the new wave of bombings, and China urged both sides to respect their truce and resolve their dispute peacefully.

Iran did not immediately confirm the reported strikes, but state media reported blasts in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, and the Revolutionary Guards Corps said its forces had downed a US drone entering its airspace and fired at an F-35 fighter jet.

In a statement marking the start of the Eid al-Adha holiday, Tehran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei declared that Washington was losing its influence in the Middle East and warned Middle East countries to ensure that they no longer host bases from which the US could launch attacks.

The United States, he said in a written statement, “in addition to no longer having any safe haven in the region for aggression and the establishment of military bases, is moving further and further away from its former position with each passing day”.

Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, said: “US forces conducted self-defence strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces.”

‘We’ll see’

He gave few details of the attacks and said only that the targets included missile launch sites and boats trying to “emplace mines.”

Despite the strikes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that a deal remained within reach.

But he remained firm on the fate of the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil and gas shipping route out of the Gulf, which Iran is seeking to control by charging fees to approve the passage of vessels.

“There were some talks going on in Qatar today, so we’ll see if we can make progress. I think it’s a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document, so it’ll take a few days,” Rubio told reporters during a visit to India.

He said the strait was “going to be open one way or the other,” adding: “What’s happening there is unlawful, it’s illegal, it’s unsustainable for the world, it’s unacceptable.”

The strikes threatened a ceasefire that began on April 8 as the United States and Iran struggle to reach an accord to end a war that has rattled the global economy with a severe disruption of energy flows.

China, Washington’s great power rival and a major energy importer, expressed concern after the US strikes.

“We urge the parties concerned to fulfil their ceasefire commitments, resolve disputes through peaceful means… and promote the early restoration of peace,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told reporters.

Hopes of an accord took another blow when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to “crush” Hezbollah in Lebanon on Monday evening. Iran has demanded that any peace accord apply to the fighting in Lebanon as well.

On Tuesday, Israel warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate the southern city of Nabatieh ahead of more planned strikes.

Nuclear fuel disposal

US President Donald Trump said in a social media post that he expected Iran to hand over its enriched uranium to the United States to be destroyed, or have it destroyed in Iran with an international witness.

The nuclear fuel “will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location”.

China warned the European Union on Wednesday against sanctioning its companies, after Brussels proposed a fresh wave of measures over Beijing’s support for Russia in its war with Ukraine.

The EU’s latest round of sanctions since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine seeks, among other aims, to complicate commercial activities by companies in third countries that allegedly support the Russian military.

The 27-member bloc has previously implemented measures targeting Chinese firms for their alleged support for Russia’s military industrial complex.

The sanctions must be debated and unanimously approved by the EU’s 27 member states to come into force.

Officials told AFP the measures include adding 14 companies from mainland China and Hong Kong to a list of firms banned from buying EU goods.

Asked about the proposed sanctions, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said that Beijing “has always firmly opposed illegal unilateral sanctions that lack basis in international law”.

“China has several times lodged serious representations with the European side, urging it to correct its wrong practices,” Lin told a regular news conference.

He warned that China will “closely follow” developments and “take necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests”, without providing further detail.

Particularly sensitive is Moscow’s drone technology, which has played a crucial role in the Russia-Ukraine war — now in its fifth year.

Chinese firms dominate the global market for civilian drones, though a grey area for some products with potential military uses presents hurdles for enforcement of export controls.

Beijing presents itself as a neutral party in the Ukraine war and says it is not sending lethal assistance to either side.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media Tuesday that “brick by brick, we are collapsing the foundations of Russia’s war economy”.

The latest package marks “the largest set of listings in over two years… notably on the financial sector, energy and drones’ production”, she wrote.

By Catherine Lai

Activists Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung once led thousands of Hong Kongers in candlelight vigils every June 4 to remember China’s 1989 Tiananmen crackdown.

This year, the pair are facing up to 10 years in jail after their trial under a Beijing-imposed national security law, during which they sought to defend the slogans they had chanted openly for decades.

Hong Kong and Macau used to be the only places on Chinese soil that permitted large-scale vigils to mourn those who died on June 4, 1989, when the government sent troops and tanks to crush protests calling for political reform.

But public commemoration has been effectively banned since the national security law’s introduction in 2020, following huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests the year before in Hong Kong.

See also: Explainer: What to know about Hong Kong’s past Tiananmen commemorations and nat. security trial of vigil leaders

Lee and Chow’s fate is a “gesture by the government to tell everyone where the boundary is, what is no longer allowed to be discussed”, Dennis, a 29-year-old Hongkonger who used to attend the vigils, told AFP.

“The space for public discussion is much smaller, if it even exists,” he said, using a pseudonym for fear of retaliation.

Lee and Chow, who organised the vigils as leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance, are expected to receive their verdict in July on charges of “incitement to subversion”.

‘Space for discussion’

At the time, the Chinese government officially defined the Tiananmen protests as a “counter-revolutionary riot” driven by a “very small number of people”, justifying the use of force on June 4 as necessary to restore order.

It said around 200 protestors were killed, as well as several dozen soldiers.

The precise toll is unknown, but most other estimates range from 400 to over 1,000.

The Hong Kong Alliance, formed in May 1989 to support the demonstrators, began campaigning for redress after the crackdown.

For decades, its annual vigils were attended by tens of thousands, turning the city’s Victoria Park into a sea of candlelight.

Calls to “end one-party rule” and “build a democratic China” were commonplace — a fact prosecutors in Lee and Chow’s trial now argue amounted to incitement to subvert the state.

Dennis remembers watching livestreams of the gatherings as a child, and debating their relevance as a university student when they came to be considered old-fashioned by some.

“At least before… whether you considered (the vigil) cheesy or not, there was still space for discussion,” he told AFP.

‘Everything has changed’

Former legislator Emily Lau said she no longer recognises her own city.

“Everything has changed, there are many things that you are not allowed to say, do not dare to say, won’t say… many media outlets have shut, much of civil society has vanished,” she told AFP.

In recent years, police have detained mourners around Hong Kong’s central Victoria Park and arrested multiple people for Tiananmen-related online posts.

On Wednesday, performance artist Sanmu Chan was stopped by police near the park as he unrolled a 6.4-metre (21-foot) long red string — a reference to the date and “red lines”.

Others will mark the day more subtly.

Dennis said he plans to listen to songs that were played at the vigils while walking around the area.

University student Laurie told AFP she didn’t “feel free speaking my mind… publicly” and would commemorate the day through prayers or a moment of silence.

“The issue is the lack of clear information on what is or is not allowed to (be talked) about, so people end up not saying anything altogether,” the 22-year-old said, using a pseudonym.

Hong Kong’s government told AFP it was committed to safeguarding the freedoms of citizens “that are protected by law”, but added that these were “not absolute”.

It warned that anyone using “the commemoration of a special day… to incite hatred” of China could be in violation of the city’s national security laws.

Zhou Fengsuo, a student leader during the 1989 demonstrations, said it was a “great loss” that the gatherings could no longer influence a young generation of Hong Kong activists.

“Every year on June 4th this (vigil) became a topic of international concern,” he said.

“That’s a crucial factor why the legacy of June 4th, 1989, is still known to the world today despite the Communist Party’s attempts to smear and obliterate it.”

Major French luxury department store Galeries Lafayette closed its first China flagship branch on Wednesday, over a decade after opening, pointing to sluggish domestic consumption and shifting spending habits.

A steady stream of shoppers browsed for last-minute deals as employees packed away unsold merchandise and mannequins on the penultimate day of Galeries Lafayette operations in Beijing, which has been open for 13 years, AFP journalists saw.

The six-floor emporium three kilometres (1.8 miles) west of the Forbidden City was being emptied of handbags, clothing, shoes and children’s toys before it locked up indefinitely.

“Don’t be sad, this is not goodbye forever,” the store said in a social media post this month announcing its Beijing closure.

“Beijing, until we meet again!”

When the French chain opened its doors in mainland China in 2013, it was at the beginning of a huge growth period for the Chinese luxury market.

China’s burgeoning middle class became a significant part of the global luxury consumer base as brands that were once only aspirational were now within reach in the world’s second largest economy.

But since the Covid-19 pandemic and property market woes dampened domestic consumption in China, the luxury sector has struggled to adapt.

“In response to… shifting market dynamics, Galeries Lafayette will refresh its business formats moving forward,” the chain said in a press release announcing the closure of its 48,000-square metre Beijing location this month.

“Consumer expectations regarding the traditional department store model have evolved significantly. Modern shoppers are increasingly prioritising greater convenience, elevated service, more meaningful experiences, and a greater sense of wellbeing,” it said.

Its Beijing branch was too large, while the Covid pandemic, a slump in domestic consumption spurred by a property crisis and a slowdown in the luxury sector added to its plight, the chain told AFP separately.

The chain is still operating its two other locations in mainland China — in Shanghai, which opened in 2018, and in southern China’s Shenzhen, which opened in 2023.

Finance worker Qian Linlin, whose office is steps away from the Beijing flagship store, said she was surprised to learn the mall she visited occasionally during lunch breaks would shut down.

“I noticed there weren’t many customers, but I never imagined that one day it would suddenly close down and then leave,” the 40-year-old said a day before its curtain call.

“After it opened, at the time, it was also a landmark building, and us young people would all come over to shop,” she said.

“We can only look back on memories.”

Taiwan rolled out the red carpet for Paraguay President Santiago Pena on Friday to shore up relations with its only South American ally, as Beijing urged Asuncion to sever ties with Taipei.

Taipei has only 12 diplomatic allies after Beijing, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory, systematically poached the others in a bid to isolate the self-governed island.

Pena is leading a delegation of government officials and business representatives on a four-day visit, and has described the island as a “fundamental partner” for the South American country.

President Lai Ching-te officially welcomed Pena on Friday with military honours, including cannon salutes and red carpet, ahead of a sit-down meeting.

Addressing the military parade under grey skies, Lai thanked Pena and his government “for long speaking up for Taiwan on the international stage”.

“Taiwan and Paraguay are partners firmly committed to the values of democracy, freedom and human rights,” Lai said.

Pena said: “Paraguay deeply values this relationship and reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting Taiwan in a strategic alliance based on shared values.”

China’s foreign ministry called on Paraguay to “make the right choice” by cutting ties with Taiwan.

Since arriving Thursday, Pena has met with Taiwan’s vice president and other senior government ministers.

He also received an honorary doctorate from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, which he hailed as a reflection of the “solid alliance” between Taiwan and Paraguay.

‘Intense pressure’

During his meeting with Lai, Pena condemned Chinese military and economic pressure on Taiwan, and insisted Taipei has a “sovereign right to engage freely with other countries”.

Paraguay and Taiwan were to sign agreements on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, cooperation in cybersecurity, as well as an AI and computing infrastructure investment project.

Taiwan’s other allies in the Americas are Guatemala, Belize and Haiti. It also has formal diplomatic ties with several Caribbean islands.

Pena’s visit comes days after Lai returned from an official trip to Eswatini, Taiwan’s only ally in Africa.

Taiwan has accused China of trying to stop Lai’s visit to Eswatini by applying “intense pressure” to the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar to revoke overflight permits for his original trip, which had been scheduled for April 22-26 and was cancelled at the last minute.

Lai ended up using the Eswatini king’s plane to make the journey.

Lai’s last official overseas trip was in November 2024, when he visited Taiwan’s Pacific allies and transited through the US territory of Guam.

Pena had announced in July 2025 that Lai would visit Paraguay the following month. But the administration of US President Donald Trump reportedly denied Lai permission to transit through New York as part of the official trip to Latin America.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry denied that Lai was blocked.

Hong Kong has overtaken Switzerland for the first time in cross-border wealth management, according to a study by the Boston Consulting Group published on Wednesday.

Based on the volume of foreign capital under management in 2025, there were US$2.95 trillion of overseas assets in Hong Kong compared with US$2.946 trillion in Switzerland.

The study said Hong Kong’s greater volume — up 10.7 percent on the previous year — was driven by “mainland China inflows, strong IPO activity, and equity market gains”.

Switzerland saw a 7.6-percent increase in the same period.

Cross-border wealth flows intensified in 2025 despite geopolitical tensions and trade uncertainties, increasing by 8.4 percent to reach US$15.7 trillion worldwide, as investors sought to diversify their assets.

“We are seeing wealth creation, cross-border capital flows, and investment ecosystems increasingly concentrate into a smaller number of globally connected hubs,” said Michael Kahlich, a co-author of the study, from BCG in Zurich.

“Hong Kong’s rise reflects the growing gravitational pull of Asian wealth and capital markets.”

Switzerland, though, remains a key financial centre, offering stability and neutrality in an uncertain geopolitical context, the study said.

The Swiss Bankers Association told AFP that the development had taken shape over several years, with asset growth in China being “exceptionally strong”, from which Hong Kong “directly benefits”.

Swiss banks “are present there themselves”, it added, as Asia is one of their growth priorities.

“For Switzerland’s future, competitive framework conditions are particularly crucial,” the association pointed out, adding that it was “essential that regulation remains targeted”.

The Hong Kong government welcomed the study’s findings.

“While global economic gravity shifts eastward, geopolitical tensions further highlight Hong Kong’s role as a safe harbour, reflecting Hong Kong’s appeal as an international financial centre,” said the secretary for financial services and the treasury, Christopher Hui.

Japan fired surface-to-ship missiles and sank an old warship in waters between the Philippines and Taiwan as part of major military exercises that include US forces, angering China.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has accelerated Japan’s shift towards a more muscular defence policy, further casting off — with US encouragement — Tokyo’s pacifist stance in place since the end of World War II.

The firing on Wednesday of two Type-88 missiles formed part of exercises in the Philippines between US, Australian, Filipino and Japanese troops as well as contingents from France, New Zealand and Canada.

Japanese and Philippine defence ministers observed the launch in the northern province of Ilocos Norte, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Taiwan, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

The two projectiles hit the target, a retired Philippines navy corvette, around 75 kilometres offshore in the South China Sea, causing it to sink, officials said.

The 19-day Balikatan exercises, meaning “shoulder-to-shoulder” and which wrap up Friday, have involved some 17,000 military personnel including Japanese combat troops for the first time.

Japan in recent years has moved to obtain “counterstrike” capabilities while hiking military spending and deepening security cooperation with regional allies including the Philippines.

Last month Takaichi’s government relaxed the country’s self-imposed rules to allow exports of lethal military hardware, seeking to grab a larger slice of the booming global market.

Last year Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won a landmark order from the Australian navy — Takaichi was in Canberra this week — to supply 11 warships.

Missile drill angers China

Long-frosty China-Japan ties have worsened after Takaichi, seen as an arch-conservative and security hawk, suggested in November that Japan might intervene militarily in any Chinese attempt to take Taiwan.

China, which regards the democratic island as part of its territory and has not ruled out force to annex it, was furious over the comments, advising its citizens to avoid Japan and imposing trade restrictions.

On Wednesday Beijing lashed out at the missile test, calling it “another example of the Japanese right-wing forces’ push for accelerated remilitarisation of Japan.”

Foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular briefing that “not only has Japan, the aggressor, failed to deeply reflect on its historical crimes, it has even sent military forces overseas and fired offensive missiles under the pretext of security cooperation.”

Yee Kuang Heng, a professor in international security at the University of Tokyo, said that the missile test to sink a ship was “particularly significant as island defence is a shared concern of both Japan and the Philippines.”

Another important component was the participation of Japan’s Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade (ARDB) in counter-landing drills with US, Philippine and Canadian forces, Heng added.

“Balikatan 2026 also saw the maiden deployment of Japan’s ShinMaywa US-2 amphibious aircraft for air-sea rescue and medical procedures, especially important given the long sea lanes in the region,” Heng told AFP.

The author of “Taiwan Travelogue”, Yang Shuang-zi, told AFP she hopes her International Booker Prize-winning novel can one day be read in China and facilitate dialogue about the “future Taiwanese people want”.

On Tuesday, Yang, 41, became the first Taiwanese author to win the prestigious award which celebrates works translated into English, alongside translator Lin King, 32.

The playful novel, set in 1930s Japan-controlled Taiwan, poses as a translation of a rediscovered Japanese travel memoir penned by fictional writer Aoyama Chizuko.

It traces ebullient Chizuko’s travels and gastronomic adventures across the colonial outpost, and the relationship she develops with her Taiwanese interpreter, the reticent Chizuru.

Although historical fiction, the novel probes themes of power imbalance and cultural erasure that the author says are relevant to present-day Taiwan, which is claimed by China as part of its territory.

“I’ve countless times felt anxious inside, asking myself whether literature is too slow,” Yang admitted when asked about Taiwan’s future.

“I often worry, often feel that maybe I should make political statements, or take some kind of action, engage in other forms of activism,” she told AFP in an interview Wednesday.

“But in reality, as a novelist, I’ve decided to put my faith in literature, to believe in the power of literature.”

First published in Mandarin in 2020, the book has won accolades in Taiwan, but has not been released in China.

“If this book can, in one way or another, make its way into China and be read by Chinese readers, I think we would have an opportunity for dialogue and communication,” said Yang.

That would “let more Chinese people understand what kind of future Taiwanese people want — which is not the same as what many in China imagine”.

‘Uphill battle’

“Taiwan Travelogue” is the first book published in any Chinese language to win the International Booker Prize.

“I hope it can serve as an example in the Chinese-speaking world, showing that in a free and democratic country like Taiwan — a country where I can come out openly as a queer person — we can do this together,” said Yang.

Unlike writing from former British colonies like Hong Kong, King says Taiwanese literature and its colonial past are lesser known in the Anglophone world.

“For Taiwan, it’s always been an uphill battle to be translated into English, and published, and recognised. So this is definitely very momentous for me personally,” said King.

The win has prompted an outpouring of emotion from Taiwanese readers on social media, who see it as an important moment for the self-ruling island usually in the news over tensions with China.

But Yang says the universal themes she discusses in the book — and her mouthwatering descriptions of Taiwanese delicacies — may have also touched readers.

“I’ve packed a lot of elements I personally love into this work — whether it’s travel, railways, food, or women’s friendships. Because I’m so fond of these things, I hope my enthusiasm can also infect my readers.”

For Yang, who dedicated this book featuring the larger-than-life women characters to her late sister, it is as much about preserving Taiwan’s past as it is about fighting for its future.

“Sometimes history briefly disappears; it becomes a blank. But as long as there are descendants willing to search, I believe history can be completed,” said Yang.

This book is “a call to readers all over the world: we can go and retrieve the histories that were once lost, our mothers’ voices, our grandmothers’ voices. We have to recover them ourselves.”

The former head of China’s famed Shaolin Temple was sentenced to 24 years in jail for crimes including embezzlement and bribery that spanned three decades, a court said on Friday.

Liu Yingcheng, who as abbot went by the name Shi Yongxin, was removed from his post in July 2025 for “extremely” bad behaviour. He was 59 years old at the time.

He was placed under investigation and defrocked over allegations of misappropriating project funds and temple assets.

Liu “took advantage of his positions as Shaolin Temple abbot and president of the Shaolin Charity Welfare Foundation”, the Xinxiang Intermediate People’s Court in central Henan province said in a statement.

His crimes were “particularly huge, the circumstances of the bribery were particularly serious… and the social impact was enormous”, the court said.

The Shaolin Temple in Henan province is known as the birthplace of kung fu.

Liu took office as abbot in 1999 and helped the temple establish dozens of companies over the following decades, but was also criticised for commercialising Buddhism.

According to the court, he embezzled assets worth more than 131 million yuan (US$19.4 million) from 2003 to 2025, acting alone and colluding with others to do so.

He further misappropriated more than 151 million yuan in funds from the organisation for personal use from 2012 to 2022, the court said.

Liu had illegally accepted assets worth more than 11 million yuan in relation to temple construction projects since 2006.

He also gave more than 5 million yuan in money and property to “state functionaries” between 1995 and 2022, seeking “improper benefits”, the court said.

Liu was also fined 3.5 million yuan (US$517,000).

He said he would not appeal against the verdict, according to the court.

People on social media platform Weibo cheered the sentencing. One user commented: “Crimes deserve punishment”.

Yet others offered blessings for change.

“It is hoped he will wake up, reform and provide good guidance and Buddhist light to all inmates,” another wrote.

Tokyo has asked Beijing to ensure its citizens’ safety after a stabbing in a Shanghai restaurant in which two Japanese were injured, Japan’s consulate in Shanghai told AFP Wednesday.

It is the latest diplomatic point of friction as the two countries are embroiled in a stand-off triggered by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s suggestion Tokyo might intervene militarily if Beijing were to invade Taiwan.

On Tuesday, Pudong district police said on social media they had received a report that a man “was injuring people with a fruit knife in a restaurant”.

Police said the suspect, a 59-year-old surnamed Yang who was detained at the scene, had a history of mental illness.

Three people were taken to hospital, the statement said, with Japanese media later reporting two were Japanese.

Asked about the reports, the Japanese consulate in Shanghai confirmed two citizens had been hurt, adding they were receiving medical treatment.

“The Government of Japan has requested the Chinese government to… clarify the facts and provide a clear explanation… (and) ensure the safety and security of Japanese nationals,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

Top government spokesperson Minoru Kihara later confirmed Tokyo had requested an explanation, adding that a consular alert had been sent out to all Japanese residents in China.

“The government will continue, while maintaining contact with the parties concerned, to provide all possible support from the standpoint of protecting Japanese nationals,” he said.

The restaurant reported to be the site of the attack, matching the police statement’s rough address, appeared calm on Wednesday.

An AFP reporter saw multiple people in grey suits, who appeared to be security, standing guard in the mall it was located in.

Police said that when Yang was detained, he had been “speaking incoherently and behaving erratically”.

AFP has contacted the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs for comment.

China’s President Xi Jinping hailed an “invincible friendship” with Pyongyang on arrival in North Korea on Monday, his first trip abroad this year after hosting back-to-back summits in Beijing.

China, Washington’s chief geopolitical rival, has been North Korea’s main trading partner by far for decades and a key source of diplomatic and economic support for a country hit by multiple international sanctions.

Military officers lined a red carpet as an Air China plane carrying Xi arrived for his first visit since 2019, video from Xinhua showed.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol-ju welcomed Xi, who was accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan.

The two leaders shook hands, and children presented flowers to Xi and Peng, while a banner reading “We warmly welcome Comrade Xi Jinping” and hailing the two countries’ “unbreakable friendship” hung below Chinese and North Korean flags.

Xi makes the trip after hosting US President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin separately in Beijing and as North Korea’s nuclear talks with Washington remain deadlocked.

The White House said last month that Xi and Trump “confirmed their shared goal to denuclearise North Korea” during their summit in Beijing.

However, Kim’s powerful sister said on the eve of Xi’s arrival that North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme was “the line of no retreat”.

South Korea’s dovish President Lee Jae Myung said Monday Seoul should not give up on North Korea’s denuclearisation, adding that “North Korea is still producing nuclear material even at this very moment”.

Minseon Ku, a diplomacy professor at DePaul University, told AFP that “Beijing probably has accepted North Korea as a nuclear state”, but Xi “will probably tell Kim that China wants stability more than anything”.

China has “always prioritised stability and is currently having to manage its relations and differences with the US”, Ku said.

‘Irreversible’ nuclear state

Seong-Hyon Lee, a visiting scholar at the Harvard University Asia Center, also said Beijing is shifting towards “underwriting regime durability” rather than seeking to coerce North Korea into denuclearisation.

“China’s broader regional strategy benefits from a stable, heavily armed, and aligned buffer state that absorbs US and allied military bandwidth,” he told AFP.

North Korea has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state since Kim and Trump’s 2019 summit collapsed over the scope of denuclearisation and sanctions relief.

Kim has also been emboldened by the war in Ukraine, securing critical support from Moscow after sending troops to fight alongside Russian forces.

Some analysts say the summit could be Xi’s way of countering Russia’s growing influence over North Korea, but DePaul’s Ku stressed that “overall, Moscow is not a major power like China”.

“Moscow-Pyongyang power relations are more equal than Beijing-Pyongyang; Moscow needs Kim for their war in Ukraine as much as Kim needs technology sharing and food from Russia,” she said.

In an article published on the front page of North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun, Xi pledged closer cooperation.

“No matter how the times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea is always invincible,” Xi wrote.

Xi last met Kim in September, when he invited the North Korean leader and Putin to a military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Military alliance

Jun Sang-gab, 65, a South Korean tour guide who lives near the inter-Korean border, said he hopes that “North Korea opens its economy” and follows China’s development model.

“If they (the North) establish themselves economically, there won’t be any incidents like armed unification or war” on the Korean peninsula, he told AFP.

Trump has made little progress on North Korea, especially on the nuclear front, despite his earlier high-profile summits with Kim.

North Korea is also the only country with an official, binding military alliance with China.

North Korea could also serve as a useful counterweight to US partners in the region, including South Korea and Japan, analysts said.

Long-frosty China-Japan ties have deteriorated since Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a security hawk, suggested last year that Tokyo might intervene militarily in any Chinese attempt to take self-ruled Taiwan.

“As China’s international standing rises, Beijing is likely seeking to draw Pyongyang more actively into its diplomatic orbit,” said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University.