The GPM Global Forecast is a bi-weekly, members-only article series for 2017. It provides analysis and short-term forecasting on key military, political, and economic events around the globe.

China to get serious about North Korea?

Xinhua is reporting that China will be sending a special envoy to North Korea on Friday.

It’s unknown what specifically will be on the agenda for the visit. On one hand, the CCP has been sending envoys to foreign governments in the neighborhood to brief them on developments in the 19^th Congress. On the other, the envoy being sent to North Korea is Song Tao, a trusted favorite of President Xi and a figure that can be ascribed some level of diplomatic importance. The recent Xi-Trump summit might have given China’s North Korea policy new impetus for change. This could also be a case of the PRC envoy carrying a message to Pyongyang on behalf of the Americans.