Key word: "basketball diplomacy"

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is trying to exert "flexible diplomacy" to ease the hostility between Pyongyang and Washington through a US basketball delegation's visit, two weeks after the country's third nuclear test drew international condemnation, which sparked discussions in the press about the future relationship between China, the US, and North Korea.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman, arrived in Pyongyang on February 26 to film a television documentary with representatives of the Harlem Globetrotters celebrity team, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Some analysts have regarded the visit as "basketball diplomacy," comparing it to the US' "ping-pong diplomacy" with China during the early 1970s.

However, US State Department's deputy spokesman Patrick Ventrell on Tuesday dismissed such a comparison, saying "we just don't take a position on this private travel."

This is the second high-profile private visit by Americans this year to North Korea. In January, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson visited Pyongyang.

Some analysts believe that the trip was authorized by the Pyongyang leadership, as the North is under intense international criticism for threatening regional security after its third nuclear test.

Since the nuclear tests broke down the more traditional channels of diplomacy between the two nations, the US is relying on alternative methods, according to a Xinhua article.

"The visit of American public figures to North Korea shows the country's willingness to open a non-traditional channel for communicating with the US government," said Xinhua.

Although Washington disapproves of having direct bilateral talks with Pyongyang, it has not disapproved of the visit, which means the US also has intentions to find a way to improve relations with the North, the paper added.

Chinese expert Lǚ Chao told the Global Times that "basketball diplomacy" may not yield its expected results.

"Ping-pong diplomacy is an inappropriate analogy, because at the time China and the US both were willing to improve relations. North Korea's will to continue their nuclear program is just as strong as the US' will to stop it. Therefore, this visit will have no influence over the larger picture," the article read.

Sports.qq.com described Dennis Rodman as an "odd choice" for the trip, as the former NBA star has a reputation for bad behavior in the press. However, others speculate that the US is catering to Kim Jong-un's personal interests, as he is an avid NBA fan.

@钱宏心约堂新浪个人认证: "Ping-pong diplomacy" improved relations with China, the US and Japan. People also imaging that maybe "basketball diplomacy" will do the same. But there are not any real signs that bilateral relations will change due to this goodwill visit.

@Sky_Hawk：For China, this is not good news at all, because if the North swings to the US, China will face unpredictable problems.