Qu Xing of the China Institute of International Studies says the visit will mark the end of a downturn in relations.

ECONOMIST: Wary detente between China and America

"What North Korea wants is to take a stand, rather than prepare for actual war, " Jia Xudong, researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, writes in Beijing Times.

BBC: China media: Wen's mixed legacy

Wang Fan, Koreas expert and director of the Institute of International Studies at China Foreign Affairs University, disagrees however and tells China Daily that the US-South Korean military drills will only provoke Pyongyang further.

BBC: China media: Tension over North Korea

Douglas Barrie, from the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London, says China's J-20 cannot match the US equivalents.

BBC: China extending military reach

Gong Keyu, North Korea expert at the Shanghai Institute of International Studies, however, tells Ming Pao that China's support again for UN sanctions indicates that it may adjust its policy or even partially cut off North Korea in the future.

BBC: China media: North Korea sanctions