Summary
Kim Jong Un’s alignment with Putin, bolstered by reported North Korean support for Russia’s Ukraine invasion, complicates China’s regional strategy, raising fears of instability at its borders.
Xi Jinping seeks control over North Korea but faces challenges as Kim favors Russia over China, heightening tensions in East Asia.
With South Korea considering nuclear options and U.S. interests intensifying, Beijing is caught between strategic ambitions and the destabilizing effects of the Putin-Kim alliance.
That’s exactly right.
Overall, the article just reflects the long standing situation - China’s never really been in control of or comfortable with North Korea. Rather, it was always just seen as the “least bad” option out of a bunch of seemingly bad ones…