China's Envoy Visits Pyongyang as North Korea Gains a New Power Partner

China's fourth-highest official, Wang Huning, arrived in Pyongyang on July 15, 2026, to advance Xi Jinping's June summit deals with Kim Jong Un. That summit followed a North Korea–Russia defence pact — which sent thousands of North Korean troops to Ukraine — giving Pyongyang a second major-power backer and potentially loosening its reliance on Beijing.