During his recent trip to Beijing, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on China to help bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, and Pyongyang quickly responded by mocking Blinken’s visit as a “begging trip.”

The DPRK’s comments were representative of the chilly reception that the Biden administration’s offers of dialogue “without preconditions” have received in Pyongyang, but the speed with which North Korea criticized the secretary of state’s remarks also betrayed the fact it may not be in complete alignment with Beijing when it comes to negotiations with the