Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit North Korea on June 8 for a two-day trip, aiming to reinforce bilateral relations. This will be his first visit to North Korea in seven years. The visit comes as China seeks to strengthen its ties with North Korea, which has been deepening its relationship with Russia. During the visit, Xi will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to discuss bilateral relations and mutual interests, according to China's Foreign Ministry.
The visit is seen as an opportunity for both countries to align their relationship with current global dynamics. China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the trip aims to advance Sino-North Korean relations in line with the times. The COVID-19 pandemic had previously halted communications between the two nations, allowing North Korea to strengthen its ties with Russia, including support in the Ukraine conflict.
Asia Society Senior Fellow John Delury noted that China is sending a covert message asserting its primary influence over North Korea, also signaling this to Russia. The visit follows high-level meetings between Xi, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing last month. In September last year, Kim Jong-un attended a major military parade in Beijing as a guest.
Passenger train services between the two capitals resumed in March after a six-year hiatus due to the pandemic, and Air China has restarted flights, though currently only for businessmen and students. This will be Xi's first foreign visit this year; his last international trip was to South Korea in October, where he met with Trump. Trump has expressed interest in meeting Kim Jong-un again, having done so three times during his first term.
Delury emphasized the importance for Xi to monitor developments in Pyongyang, suggesting that a visit to both Koreas within a year would be a significant achievement. He also highlighted China's preference for maintaining a balance between the two Koreas. South Korea's Blue House views Xi's visit as a high-level bilateral discussion unrelated to Russia. Seoul hopes Beijing will continue its constructive role in addressing Korean Peninsula issues.
Since becoming China's paramount leader in 2012, Xi has visited North Korea once and South Korea twice. His previous visit to Pyongyang was in 2008 as Vice President, where he met with then-North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-un's father. A Blue House official stated that Seoul does not see the visit as a coordinated effort among the three countries or linked to the recent U.S.-China summit.
