North Korea needs China for survival: Why does Beijing need Pyongyang?

China’s President Xi Jinping has arrived in Pyongyang on his first overseas trip this year as he aims to boost ties with North Korea, a reclusive nuclear-armed nation opposed to US military expansion in the Asia Pacific region. During Xi’s two-day visit, “both sides will use the visit as an opportunity to promote greater development of China-North Korea relations in keeping with the times”, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning told a press briefing on Friday. …