On July 16, Chinese President Xi Jinping paid a visit to a village in Yanbian Korean Autunomous Prefecture of Jilin Province, bordering North Korea. His unprecedented visit to Yanbian can be seen as China's gesture of reconciliation with North Korea./ Source from Xinhua News Agency

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By Hong Soon-do, Beijing correspondent, AsiaToday - The Chinese government is engaged in a top-level diplomatic initiative to improve its relations with North Korea, Japan, and even its potential enemy the United States. In particular, as it is definitely showing an enthusiastic attitude to recover the chilly relations with North Korea, some tangible results could come out sooner or later.

Taking together the reports from the Chinese state media including Xinhua News Agency, and western diplomatic sources in Beijing on July 28, it can be seen clearly if we look at the recent moves of Chinese President Xi Jinping. In the last 10 days, Xi visited sensitive North Korea border areas such as the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture of Jilin Province and Shenyang of Liaoning Province. Considering the symbolism of the two regions and the fact that this was never done by former Chinese Presidents Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, it is no exaggeration to say that China expressed its gesture of reconciliation to improve relations with North Korea.

Such speculation is also based on the fact that North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un paid tribute to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army for its role in the Korean War at the fourth National Conference of War Veterans in Pyongyang on July 26. It means China and North Korea shared consensus through under-the-table contact beforehand to normalize their relations. Kim even sent a wreath on the next day to the cemetery of martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, which is located in Hoechang County, South Pyongyang Province. Kim is also rumored to attend a Chinese military parade in Beijing on September 3 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. Professor Han Xian-dong of China University of Political Science and Law said, "I heard about it. In my personal opinion, he will be attending the event," revealing that the rumor is pretty much reliable.

Not only that, China is showing a positive attitude to improve relations with Japan. On July 16, China and Japan held a high-level political talk in Beijing. Besides, a working-level economic dialogue was also held on July 26 in Being for the first time in over four years, showing signs of thawing relations between China and Japan. There is no need to say more with the United States. Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to seek better relations through his visit to the United States in September.

The problem lies in the fact that China's such movement could place Korea to disadvantageous diplomatic position. Perhaps, Korea may be treated as an outcast internationally since it continues to remain hostile toward North Korea and Japan while its close relationship with China is getting suspected by the United States. It seems that Korea should act smartly on China's diplomatic move.