Editor’s note: The following article is an opinion piece by Lyle Goldstein, director of Asia engagement at Defense Priorities. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to North Korea has raised alarm among some security watchers, who have interpreted the trip as revealing a new tack to the DPRK’s nuclear weapons or even a consolidation of an anti-U.S. axis headed by Beijing.

Such conclusions are premature. Xi’s trip more likely reflects China’s longtime attempt to stabilize its own neighborhood, and in