Xi Jinping departs for North Korea on two-day state visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping departed Beijing on April 8 for a two-day state visit to North Korea, accepting an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. This trip marks Xi's first visit to Pyongyang since June 2019, occurring seven years after his previous journey.

According to China's official Xinhua News Agency, Xi left Beijing by special aircraft around 10 a.m. local time (11 a.m. Korean time). His plane was expected to land at Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport around 11:40 a.m.

Xi and Kim last met in Beijing in early September last year during events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice. Their upcoming meeting in Pyongyang will be their first in nine months. The visit is timed to coincide with the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Sino-North Korean Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance on July 11.

Accompanying Xi on the trip are his wife, Peng Liyuan, and several high-ranking officials, including Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party and head of the Central Secretariat, and Wang Yi, a member of the Politburo and the Foreign Minister.

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President Xi Jinping left Beijing by special aircraft, making a state visit to North Korea at the invitation of Kim Jong Un.