Kim Jong Un Gives Short Shrift to Xi Jinping’s New Year’s Card, Signaling Strains in North Korea–China Ties

[The Financial News] Signs of strain are emerging in relations between North Korea and the People's Republic of China (China), as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has given short shrift to a New Year’s greeting card sent by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on the 18th that Kim Jong Un had sent New Year’s cards to Xi Jinping and other heads of state. The agency referred to the recipients only by their titles and not by name, listing them in the order of “the president of the People's Republic of China (China), who is also the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee, and his wife,” followed by “the general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam,” and so on.
Although the couple of President Xi Jinping were mentioned first, KCNA merely gave a brief account that the New Year’s cards were sent collectively to the heads of state of Vietnam, Singapore, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Belarus, Algeria, and others. As was the case in its January 1 report on Xi Jinping and his wife sending a New Year’s card to Kim Jong Un, the contents of the message were not disclosed. This stands in stark contrast to the exchange of congratulatory letters between Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the full texts of which were made public in detail.
Analysts have assessed that China’s move to strengthen economic cooperation with South Korea as part of its efforts to counter the United States is being interpreted by North Korea as a signal that China can at any time turn its back on Pyongyang if required by its national interests.
Professor Eul-Chul Lim of the Institute for Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University commented, “The way North Korean media report on an issue is the most sensitive barometer of the leader’s intentions,” adding, “The fact that Xi, identified only by titles such as general secretary of the CCP, is being grouped together and handled in such a brief manner is a sign that Kim Jong Un’s dissatisfaction with China is considerable.”
The 9th Congress of the Workers' Party of Korea is expected to serve as a turning point for restoring bilateral relations going forward. If China dispatches a high-level delegation headed by a Member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, who ranks within the top five in the party hierarchy, the current political rift is expected to be at least partially resolved.

rainman@fnnews.com Kim Kyung-soo Reporter