China re?centers North Korea ties as nuclear silence reshapes balance

SEOUL/SHANGHAI — The leaders of China and North Korea reaffirmed their alliance this week in Pyongyang, emphasizing strategic cooperation while avoiding public discussion of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The two-day trip — President Xi Jinping’s first to North Korea in nearly seven years — comes shortly after his summit with President Trump in Beijing, where the White House said both sides agreed on the shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea. Beijing did not publicly echo Washington’s claim. And this week in Pyongyang, Xi made no public mention of denuclearization. Instead, Xi focused on China’s “firm commitment to safeguarding the…