Chinese state media is talking up North Korea far more this year but Pyongyang isn’t returning the favor, a disparity experts say suggests Beijing is making more effort to warm ties while the DPRK stays focused on Russia.

NK Pro analysis of the Chinese state’s Xinhua News Agency shows that mentions of “North Korea” and “Kim Jong Un” have risen dramatically year-on-year in the first seven months of 2025, while mentions of “Xi Jinping” and “China” across official DPRK media have plummeted.

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