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Xi to Visit North Korea, Focusing on Regional Balances
🇬🇷 Greece /Elections & Politics

Xi to Visit North Korea, Focusing on Regional Balances

From Ta Nea · () Greek

Translated from Greek, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea from Monday to Tuesday, marking his first trip to the country since 2019.
  • The visit, at Kim Jong Un's invitation, underscores China's role as a key diplomatic player and North Korea's primary supporter amid UN sanctions.
  • Analysts suggest Xi aims to bolster China's influence in the region and counter perceptions of Pyongyang moving closer to Moscow.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to make an official visit to North Korea on Monday, according to Chinese state television CCTV. This trip, his first to the country since 2019, will last until Tuesday and comes at the invitation of Kim Jong Un.

China remains North Korea's most crucial diplomatic, economic, and political backer, especially as Pyongyang operates under a series of UN sanctions. This visit also marks Xi's first foreign trip of the year, following his meetings with the US and Russian leaders in Beijing in May.

China meets with leaders from around the world, coordinating positions and playing a mediating role.

— Lim Eul-chulA North Korea expert at Kyungnam University in South Korea, commenting on China's diplomatic role.

"China meets with leaders from around the world, coordinating positions and playing a mediating role," said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University in South Korea, to AFP. He believes China is seeking to draw Pyongyang closer into its diplomatic orbit, positioning it as a partner in promoting a more multilateral international order as Beijing's global influence grows.

the dominant analysis in Western capitals that Pyongyang has moved into Moscow's orbit

— Seong-Hyun LeeAn analyst at the George H. W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, discussing the implications of Xi's visit.

North Korea relied on China for nearly 95% of its trade and 85% of its exports in 2022, according to the Washington-based think tank National Committee on North Korea. In recent years, Pyongyang has strengthened ties with Moscow, particularly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with experts suggesting Pyongyang has provided troops and equipment to Russia in exchange for military technological support.

By choosing North Korea for his first foreign trip of 2026, Xi aims to counter "the dominant analysis in Western capitals that Pyongyang has moved into Moscow's orbit," noted Seong-Hyun Lee, an analyst at the George H. W. Bush Foundation for US-China Relations. John Delury of the Asia Society echoed this, stating that "the indirect message from the Chinese side is we remain the key players regarding North Korea," with Russia among the recipients of this message.

the indirect message from the Chinese side is we remain the key players regarding North Korea

— John DeluryOf the Asia Society, commenting on China's signaling through the visit.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Ta Nea in Greek. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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