China’s President Xi visits North Korea to talk nuclear programme

China's President Xi Jinping has made his first visit to North Korea in nearly seven years, arriving amid escalating nuclear tensions and Pyongyang's renewed commitment to expanding its nuclear arsenal. The trip underscores North Korea's strategic balancing act—leveraging its relationships with China, Russia, and the U.S. to extract economic benefits while maintaining military leverage. Beijing, while officially advocating for regional stability, faces pressure to offer concessions like easing tourism restrictions or economic support in exchange for diplomatic de-escalation. Meanwhile, the U.S. remains a wildcard: North Korea may be trying to re-engage Trump-era diplomacy to create leverage, even as it formally dropped reunification with South Korea from its constitution—a move that signals both defiance and a potential opening for future negotiations. On the global stage, the OECD warns against fragmented national tax policies on multinationals, cautioning that unilateral digital services taxes could spark trade wars, especially as AI-driven tech giants operate across borders without physical footprints. The U.S. has rejected a treaty-based solution for global digital taxation, leaving the future of Pillar 1 in limbo despite its original 100-country agreement. The episode reveals a world where geopolitical maneuvering is as much about economic incentives and digital sovereignty as it is about military threats.