BEIJING, June 5, 2026 — Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, marking his first visit to the country in nearly seven years.
According to Chinese and North Korean state media, Xi will visit Pyongyang from June 8 to 9. The trip will be his first visit to North Korea since 2019 and comes at a time of increasing geopolitical tensions and shifting alliances in Northeast Asia.
The visit follows a period of high-level diplomatic activity in Beijing, where Xi recently hosted U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Both countries play significant roles in North Korea’s foreign policy and regional security environment.
Despite facing extensive international sanctions over its nuclear weapons program and alleged human rights violations, North Korea continues to rely heavily on China as its most important economic and political partner. The two countries share a 1,400-kilometer border, and China’s only formal mutual defense treaty is with North Korea, requiring each side to assist the other in the event of an attack.
Analysts say the visit carries considerable symbolic and political value for Kim Jong Un, whose international standing has strengthened somewhat following the COVID-19 pandemic and North Korea’s growing involvement alongside Russia in the war in Ukraine.
However, reports suggest that Beijing remains cautious about the deepening relationship between Pyongyang and Moscow. While China and Russia maintain close ties with North Korea, Xi is believed to be monitoring the expanding Kim-Putin partnership closely.
North Korea is also expected to seek greater economic cooperation with China, including increased cross-border trade and a rise in Chinese tourism to newly developed coastal resorts and ski destinations.
The visit is widely viewed as an opportunity for both leaders to reaffirm their longstanding alliance and coordinate their positions on regional security and economic cooperation.
