North Korea has vented its frustrations with China as tensions on the Korean peninsula subside, highlighting the diverging interests of the countries even as Washington tries to use Beijing to control Pyongyang.

After tough talk in early April of harsher sanctions as it tried to avert a showdown between the US and North Korea over its nuclear tests, China has dialled down its public pressure on Pyongyang in recent days. Air China flights to Pyongyang resumed on Friday after a three-week suspension during the height of a face-off over North Korea’s missile tests. 

Nonetheless, North Korean news agency KCNA this week fired off a long complaint about “a string of absurd and reckless remarks” by Chinese newspapers, which Beijing has used over the past month to threaten Pyongyang if it continued with its missile provocations.