Economics
As Kim Visits China, Xi Flaunts Bargaining Chip in Trade Dispute
- North Korean leader makes third trip to China since March
- Beijing holds key to maintaining pressure in nuclear talks
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As if on cue, Kim Jong Un returned to Beijing on Tuesday in an illustration of how President Donald Trump’s tariff threats against China could spiral into a broader conflict between the world’s two largest economies.
The North Korean leader was expected to spend two days in China -- his third such visit since March -- presumably to confer with Xi about the results of his summit with Trump last week in Singapore. His presence in the Chinese capital shows how Xi’s leverage in the trade dispute with Trump extends far beyond soybean imports and Boeing Co. jet contracts.