Xi to visit North Korea June 8-9, first trip since 2019

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next week, marking his first trip to the isolated nation in more than six years. The visit, scheduled for June 8-9, underscores China's role as one of the few global powers capable of engaging with all parties in a fractured international landscape.

This trip to Pyongyang, Xi's first outside China in 2026, follows his recent hosting of leaders like Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Beijing. The meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will serve as a reminder to both Trump and Putin of Beijing's significant, though not absolute, leverage over the North Korean regime. Despite years of Chinese pressure, North Korea has notably accelerated its nuclear program and deepened military cooperation with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

As North Korea's primary economic backer, China provides a crucial lifeline amidst stringent U.S. and allied sanctions related to Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. Xi's previous visit in 2019 saw him urge Kim to pursue progress in nuclear talks with the U.S. Although Trump and Kim held three summits during Trump's presidency, these engagements failed to persuade Kim to scale back his nuclear program.

The visit comes after Kim attended a major military parade in Beijing in September 2025. Historically allies, China and North Korea have recently sought to strengthen their bilateral ties, including the resumption of train and plane services between their capitals. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Pyongyang in April further highlighted the socialist bond between the two nations, with both sides agreeing to enhance coordination on major global and regional issues.