Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit North Korea from June 8 to 9, marking his first trip to Pyongyang in almost seven years. This visit reflects Beijing’s efforts to reinforce its influence over its sole formal treaty ally.
The announcement came shortly after Xi hosted separate summits in Beijing last month with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. North Korean state media KCNA confirmed that Kim Jong Un has invited Xi to Pyongyang.
Kim himself traveled to Beijing last September, attending a major military parade and arriving aboard his distinctive green armored train. This reciprocal exchange highlights the ongoing diplomatic engagement between the two nations.
Beijing aims to bring Pyongyang back into its sphere of influence after the Covid-19 pandemic severely disrupted bilateral interactions. Relations had further cooled as North Korea strengthened its ties with Moscow, including providing troops and weapons in support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Passenger train services between Beijing and Pyongyang resumed in March after a six-year break, and Air China has restarted flights. However, travel remains limited primarily to business travelers and exchange students, with Chinese tourists still barred from visiting North Korea.
This trip will be Xi’s first international journey of the year. At 72, Xi has reduced his overseas travel, with his last foreign visit being to South Korea in late October, where he also met with President Trump. Since taking office in 2012, Xi has visited North Korea once and South Korea twice, and he traveled to Pyongyang in 2008 as vice president during Kim Jong Il’s leadership.
Analysts emphasize the symbolic importance of this visit. John Delury, a senior fellow at the Asia Society, noted that China is signaling it remains the primary power influencing North Korea. He also pointed out that the visit sends a message to Russia, underscoring Beijing’s role in regional dynamics.
Delury added that Xi visiting both Koreas within a year would be a significant achievement, reflecting China’s desire to maintain balanced relations with both neighbors.
The timing of Xi’s visit coincides with increased North Korean nuclear activity. This week, KCNA reported Kim Jong Un’s inspection of a new nuclear material production facility, where he called for a rapid expansion of Pyongyang’s atomic arsenal. Experts interpret these developments as strategic signals ahead of high-level diplomatic engagements.
