Xi Jinping Makes Rare Visit to North Korea, Pledges Deeper Cooperation with Kim Jong Un

Jun 7, 2026

Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting North Korea for the first time since 2019, pledging deeper cooperation with leader Kim Jong Un. The visit aims to reset a relationship that has been strained by Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions and is seen as a strategic move by Beijing to reassert its influence amid North Korea's growing military partnership with Russia, which includes a mutual defense pact.

Xi Jinping Pyongyang visit

▪Xi Jinping called for deeper cooperation with North Korea in areas including diplomacy, law enforcement, military, trade, and technology.
▪Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang on June 8, 2026, for a two-day state visit to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
▪The visit is Xi Jinping's first trip to North Korea since 2019 and was intended to mark the 65th anniversary of their friendship treaty.

China-North Korea relationship reset

▪Economic ties have been strengthening, with China's exports to North Korea reaching a six-year high of $2.3 billion last year.
▪According to analyst Jenny Town, relations between China and North Korea have been in a "low period" since the pandemic.
▪Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un described the bond between their countries as “unbreakable” and pledged to bring relations to "new heights."
▪In late 2024, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un held their first formal summit in six years at a military parade in Beijing.

North Korea-Russia military cooperation

▪North Korea has expanded military cooperation with Russia since the Ukraine invasion, signing a mutual defense pact in 2024.
▪North Korea is accused of supplying ammunition for Russia's war in Ukraine in exchange for oil and aid.
▪According to Western diplomatic sources, China is increasingly concerned about the growing military partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Beijing's strategic leverage

▪Beijing is unlikely to welcome Russia becoming the dominant influence in Pyongyang, as a more confident Kim Jong Un would reduce Chinese leverage.
▪China's only formal defense treaty is with North Korea.
▪China's strategic goal is to reassert influence over North Korea and maintain stability on its border.
▪In 2022, China and Russia vetoed a US-led UN resolution to impose new sanctions on North Korea for its missile tests.

Historical Xi-Kim tensions

▪North Korea has declared its status as a nuclear state "irreversible," a position that conflicts with China's stated goal of a denuclearized Korean peninsula.
▪Mistrust has strained ties in recent years, partly due to Kim Jong Un accelerating North Korea's nuclear program after taking power.
▪The execution of Kim Jong Un's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who was seen by China as a stabilizing figure, deepened the rift between the two nations.
▪In a 2014 move viewed as a snub, Xi Jinping visited South Korea before ever meeting with Kim Jong Un.