Officials from both China and North Korea have maintained the position that the two countries’ relations have been quite normal. In the public sphere, they have emphasized “bilateral friendly ties” with each other, and China continues to be North Korea’s greatest ally. This seemingly harmonious relationship however, has lately been questioned and is arguably strained. News of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s visit to China sometime “down the road” doesn’t seem too convincing either.

It has been recently reported by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency that Kim Jong Un might pay China a visit soon, stated by China’s ambassador Qiu Guohong. On the face of it, Chinese-North Korean relations seem to be going quite smoothly but arguably, it is slowly breaking down due to multiple reasons – namely China’s growing interests in South Korean diplomatic relations, and North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

Beijing and Seoul have recently had growing friendly diplomatic relations, such as its common interest in standing together to pressure Japan in resolving historical issues involving atrocities committed during World War II. In addition, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Seoul earlier this year, just after taking office in 2013 despite the fact that he hasn’t paid Pyongyang a visit yet or invited Kim Jong Un to visit Beijing. China’s concerns in forming closer ties with South Korea could involve strategic moves that will bring Seoul closer to Beijing instead of Washington, allowing China to have more influence in the region with less US interference. One could even go further and say that if greater bonds between Beijing and Seoul are formed, the rise of China as an upcoming hegemon would be greater recognized. However, it is obvious that closer ties with Seoul would come at the expense of close relations with Pyongyang.

North Korea’s ongoing nuclear weapons program and its conduction of tests are also making China feel very uneasy, not only because of its close geographical proximity, but also because of the hostile international response that North Korea is getting from these tests. China has already warned their supposed allies about nuclear testing, and Pyongyang has conducted a few of these just before Xi took office. American reaction to Pyongyang’s actions have not been positive as well, which could prompt for more nuclear weapons advancement in Washington – a situation which Beijing is not too happy about.

It can be stated that China is becoming increasingly uncomfortable with North Korea, although they state to have been maintaining a “normal relationship.” China might not yet be willing to part ways with such a close ally, although it is seeming to be more advantageous to take the other position, for China’s growing international interests.