Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for a two-day state visit, marking his first trip to North Korea in seven years. He was greeted at the airport by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and first lady Ri Sol Ju, with official footage showing the couple clapping as Xi’s plane landed. Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were presented with bouquets by North Korean children, according to Chinese state media.
The visit is Xi’s first overseas trip of the year and comes just weeks after he hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Beijing. The timing underscores Beijing’s ambition to cast itself as a versatile global power broker amid intense geopolitical flux.
Pomp and Ceremony
At Kim Il Sung Square, a mounted cavalry escort lined up to receive the guests, while carefully choreographed crowds waved flowers and flags beneath huge portraits of Xi and Kim. After a 21-gun salute, the two leaders reviewed an honor guard whose members shouted in Korean, “We wish Comrade Xi Jinping good health,” state broadcaster CCTV reported. Kim and Xi later held talks and attended a banquet at Mokran House state venue.
During their meeting, Xi called for deepening “strategic coordination and cooperation” with North Korea, saying the two sides should inject “powerful momentum” into their ties. He specifically mentioned plans to expand cooperation in economics, trade, agriculture, health, construction, science, and technology. According to a readout by China’s Xinhua News Agency, Xi told Kim that “no matter how the international situation changes, the firm position of the Chinese Party and government highly valuing the traditional friendship between China and North Korea will not change.”
Rebalancing Ties
The visit is seen as an opportunity for Xi to reassert China’s close, historic ties with Pyongyang. Relations had cooled in recent years due to COVID-era border closures and North Korea’s growing closeness with Russia. Moscow and Pyongyang signed a mutual defense treaty in 2024, and North Korea has reportedly deployed thousands of soldiers to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine. Xi’s trip signals Beijing’s intent to rebalance these ties and remind Pyongyang that China remains its most critical economic lifeline and diplomatic partner.
Xi and Kim last met in September 2025, when Kim was among global leaders at a military parade in Beijing, seated next to Xi. Russian President Putin also attended, showcasing an unprecedented show of unity among the three leaders. The current trip coincides with the 65th anniversary of the 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance—China’s only mutual defense treaty, signed less than a decade after Chinese troops fought alongside North Korea in the Korean War.
Nuclear Concerns and Geopolitical Chessboard
North Korea’s nuclear weapons program is a delicate topic in talks between the two autocrats. A day before Xi arrived, North Korean state media reported Kim inspected a major munitions company, where he was briefed on “expanding the capacity to produce various ballistic and cruise missiles.” Last week, he visited a new plant manufacturing weapons-grade nuclear material, vowing to “beef up our state’s nuclear forces at an exponential rate.”
Beijing is widely seen as wary of North Korea’s nuclear program, which heightens American focus on the region and risks instability near China’s border. However, Chinese leadership also views Pyongyang as part of a broader nexus of Beijing-aligned players that act as a counterweight to US power. Xi alluded to this international cooperation, saying both countries should “firmly defend their respective sovereignty, security, and development interests, and jointly safeguard regional peace and development.”
US and South Korean Reactions
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung acknowledged Xi’s trip, noting the widening divide between North and South Korea. “Russia and North Korea have developed increasingly close ties and the divide between North and South Korea continues to widen,” Lee said at a press conference. “But we must continue to pursue dialogue.”
Former US President Donald Trump, who met Kim three times during his first term, has expressed interest in restarting high-level diplomacy. Last fall, Kim indicated openness to meeting Trump again but only if the US abandons denuclearization goals. Trump launched a military campaign against Iran during his second term to destroy its nuclear enrichment program, making it uncertain whether he would accept Kim’s terms.
The Korean peninsula was among issues discussed between Xi and Trump during the US president’s visit to Beijing in May. A White House readout stated the two leaders share the “shared goal to denuclearize North Korea,” while the Chinese readout said they “exchanged views” on the peninsula.
For North Korea, Xi’s visit marks another chapter in its longstanding balancing act between Russia and China—seeking military and economic benefits from both while avoiding excessive reliance on either. The trip also serves as a reminder that despite shifting global alliances, the China-North Korea relationship remains foundational to Pyongyang’s survival and Beijing’s regional strategy.
Source: MSN News