In early August, Liu Xiao Ming, China’s special representative for Korean Peninsula affairs, met with Swiss Ambassador to China Bernardino Regazzoni and reportedly encouraged Switzerland to play a constructive role in “the political settlement of [Korean] Peninsula issues.”

It’s not yet clear what the contours of China-Switzerland partnership on North Korea might be, but their meeting, which came on the heels of the short-lived reestablishment of key inter-Korea communication channels on July 27, likely ties into Beijing’s efforts to encourage North Korea to re-engage with the world.

As the 2022 presidential election approaches in