North Korea's Hostility Could Snag China's Bid for Better US Ties, Analysts Say

FILE - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meets with China's President Xi Jinping, in Dalian, China, in this undated photo released on May 9, 2018, by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency. FILE - A man plays a harmonica while walking by a deserted Evergrande city plaza in Beijing, Sept. 18, 2023. China's languishing economy could encourage Beijing to become more cooperative with the U.S. on North Korea, one expert thinks.

China could face a dilemma dealing with Pyongyang this year as it finds North Korea's threats and deepening ties with Russia disruptive to Beijing's efforts to improve its relationship with Washington, analysts say.