Wen Jiabao, China’s premier, can hail his visit to North Korea as a bit of a diplomatic coup. Now the question is whether there is an economic dividend too.

After bear hugs with Kim Jong-il and co-operation deals, Mr Wen engin­eered the geopolitical compromise he wanted, with the North Korean leader on Tuesday announcing he might re­turn to inter­national talks on dismantling his nuclear weapons programme if he gets the kudos of direct talks with the US first.