Why was China’s response to North Korea’s latest missile launches so muted?

China’s muted response to North Korea’s latest missile launch, which came soon after top diplomat Wang Yi’s visit to Seoul, underscores how Beijing is prioritising Pyongyang’s stability over near‑term denuclearisation, according to analysts. North Korea started launching more than 10 short-range ballistic missiles just hours after Wang concluded his two-day visit on Thursday, the foreign minister’s first official trip to South Korea in nearly five years. South Korea and Japan condemned the...

By Shi Jiangtao