Key facts
- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea for a two-day visit.
- This marks Xi's first visit to North Korea in seven years.
- Xi met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
- Xi stated China's policy is to upgrade relations with North Korea.
- The two leaders will collaborate to combat hegemony and militarism.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea for a two-day visit, his first in seven years, where he met with leader Kim Jong Un. Xi stated that it is China's unwavering policy to upgrade relations with North Korea and that the two countries will collaborate to combat hegemony and attempts to revive militarism.
Xi's remarks, published in North Korea's state newspaper Rodong Sinmun, also indicated that the two neighbors would enhance exchanges across all sectors to boost their relationship and safeguard a fair global order. He pledged to work with North Korea to promote multilateralism and inclusive economic globalization, contributing to a community of shared human destiny.
The visit comes as Beijing seeks to draw Pyongyang back into its sphere of influence. North Korea has resumed border crossings with China and increased exchanges since the COVID-19 pandemic, following a period of suspension. This meeting occurs shortly after Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his ambitions for an 'exponential' expansion of his nuclear arsenal.
Flags of both countries lined the main avenues of the North Korean capital in a short video released by the Xinhua official news agency, which added that welcome banners for Xi draped landmark buildings. Xi flew out of the Chinese capital on a special plane on Monday, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, his de facto chief of staff Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Xi hosted Kim and other leaders last year at a massive military parade in Beijing, where he stood with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Since then Pyongyang has resumed crossings at the Chinese border and stepped up exchanges frozen during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Air China restored flights between the capitals in March. On the eve of Xi's arrival, Pyongyang sought to flex its strength by unveiling plans for a 10,000-ton naval destroyer and reaffirming its status as a nuclear-armed state.
Xi arrived in Pyongyang to a red-carpet welcome from Kim and wife Ri Sol Ju, alongside a guard of honour while children presented bouquets of flowers, Chinese state media showed. A military band played both national anthems in a ceremony at the capital's Kim Il Sung Square. A 21-gun salute was fired as spectators chanted slogans and released colourful balloons, according to Xinhua.
Xi is expected to hold talks with Kim during the two-day visit, his first in seven years to China's reclusive neighbour. Analysts suggest the visit is significant as Beijing seeks to draw Pyongyang closer, with both nations sharing an interest in countering U.S. influence and straining its alliances. North Korea has been stepping up its nuclear arsenal output, with estimates suggesting it has around 60 warheads.