Putin and Kim Forge Stronger Ties

In his more than three years in power, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un has purged his government of rivals, forged ahead with the country’s nuclear weapons program, and, if the FBI is right, humbled Sony after it dared to mock him in a movie.

One thing Kim hasn’t done is travel outside of North Korea. Although his father, Kim Jong Il, was a regular visitor to Beijing, relations with China have been frosty since the December 2013 execution of the younger Kim’s uncle and onetime second-in-command, Jang Song Thaek, who’d been close to Chinese leaders. Asked on March 8 whether President Xi Jinping would meet this year with Kim, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi wasn’t encouraging. “When our leaders will meet will have to suit the schedules of both sides,” he said.