North Korea's snub signals declining ties with China, as Kim Jong-un expected to improve relations with Russia and Japan
North Korean leader expected to put effort into boosting relations with Russia and Japan instead
Pyongyang's decision not to invite Chinese officials to yesterday's event marking the third anniversary of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's death signals the state's intention to distance itself from its chief ally amid a cooling of ties, analysts say.
Beijing sent only Politburo Standing Committee member Liu Yunshan to the capital's North Korean embassy to pay tribute to Kim, foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said.
Qin did not elaborate on the state of bilateral relations between the two nations, saying only that China remembered Kim's contributions.
But analysts said the absence of an invitation from Pyongyang pointed to worsening ties.
"The lack of an invitation reflects that the relationship between China and North Korea has gone down," said Sun Xingjie , an expert in Korean peninsula affairs at Jilin University's Institute of International Studies. "It also indicates that North Korea is trying to stop relying so heavily on China."
Although China is still seen as North Korea's biggest ally, ties between the two have been affected by Beijing's criticisms over Pyongyang's nuclear tests and the latter's fears about China's influence over its economy.