Xi Jinping to Visit North Korea for Rare Meeting with Kim Jong Un

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit Pyongyang for a two-day state visit beginning Monday, June 8, 2026, marking his first trip to North Korea in seven years. The visit, at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, aims to deepen bilateral relations, promote regional development, and contribute to peace and stability.

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This comes as both sides seek to improve relations.

Xi, who last visited North Korea in 2019, will be accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and other high-ranking officials. This trip also marks Xi's first foreign visit of the year. The leaders last met in September when Kim attended a military parade in Beijing.

The visit takes place against a backdrop of shifting regional dynamics, including a strengthened partnership between North Korea and Russia, formalized by a joint defense agreement. This comes after Xi hosted US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing for separate meetings. The White House stated after Trump's visit that both leaders reaffirmed their goal of North Korean denuclearization, though Beijing has indicated its own approach to a "political resolution."

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aimed at deepening relations, promoting development, and contributing to "peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the region and the world in general."

North Korea, however, has reiterated its nuclear status. Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong Un's influential sister, stated that the country's nuclear weapons program "cannot be negotiated." This assertion follows Kim Jong Un's vow to expand North Korea's nuclear capabilities "at an unprecedented rate."

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cannot be changed at all.

Economic ties between China and North Korea have also seen a resurgence, with bilateral trade reaching $2.79 billion last year, nearing pre-pandemic levels. Passenger train services and direct flights between the two nations have also resumed, signaling a warming of relations.

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at an unprecedented rate