China's Xi vows to bring ties with North Korea to 'new heights' during rare visit

By Emma De Ruiter Published on 09/06/2026 - 7:55 GMT+2•Updated 7:58 Share Comments Share Facebook Twitter Flipboard Send Reddit Linkedin Messenger Telegram VK Bluesky Threads Whatsapp It was Xi's first visit to North Korea in seven years. Xi and Kim last met in Beijing in September after viewing a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders. On a rare visit to North Korea, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to bring the complicated traditional alliance to "new heights", in a likely attempt to reassert Beijing’s unique influence over its neighbour as it moves closer to Moscow. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT Upon arrival at Pyongyang's international airport on Monday, Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan were greeted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in a lavish welcome ceremony complete with a red-carpet military salute and cheering crowds, according to Chinese state media. Some streets in the capital also displayed North Korean and Chinese flags side by side. Xi later arrived at Pyongyang’s main square, where a military honour guard and thousands of people, including children carrying balloons and hopping, staged a welcoming ceremony. Buildings surrounding the plaza were draped in the two countries’ flags, giant portraits of Kim and Xi and red-and-yellow banners welcoming the Chinese leader and celebrating the nations’ “friendship and unity.” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un greets Chinese delegation, led by Chinese President Xi Jinping, during a welcome ceremony in Pyongyang, Monday, June 8, 2026. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP In the evening, Kim threw a banquet for Xi and his delegation. It was Xi's first visit to North Korea in seven years. Xi and Kim last met in Beijing in September after viewing a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders. Restoring exclusive influence While it is extremely difficult to verify reports released by state-controlled media outlets of North Korea and China, dispatches on the meeting touted a joint push for greater cooperation while not mentioning North Korea's banned pursuit of nuclear weapons. This implies the summit produced outcomes both leaders could portray as gains; Xi reaffirms influence on North Korea and Kim wins some economic and political benefits. Xi expressed China’s willingness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade, agriculture, construction and technology, China’s state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report. Xi said the two countries should strengthen strategic cooperation and firmly safeguard their respective sovereignty and security interests, according to the report. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a dinner in Pyongyang, Monday, June 8, 2026. Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP Kim, for his part, affirmed that North Korea and China will maintain their friendship as “the most important top-priority strategic work," the state-controlled official Korean Central News Agency reported Tuesday. Kim called Xi “the greatest state guest,” saying he views the fact Xi chose North Korea as a destination for his first foreign travel this year as “the most encouraging support” to North Korea, according to KCNA. Kim, whose country has been historically reliant on China, has drawn closer to Moscow in recent years while expanding his country's nuclear weapons programme. He boosted an alliance with Putin after sending troops to fight alongside Russian forces against Ukraine. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping smile as they watch welcome performance at Pyongyang Gymnasium in Pyongyang, Monday, June 8, 20 Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP Restoring an exclusive influence over North Korea would give Xi leverage in dealings with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to restart diplomacy with Kim. Xi and Trump met in Beijing last month and are to meet again in the US in September. North Korea's nuclear ambitions While the two countries are quick to talk up their friendship, North Korea's commitment to its nuclear programme has been a thorn in the relationship. No public mention of the subject by Xi was crucial for Kim, who is desperate to win international recognition as a nuclear weapons state as a way to call for lifting of UN sanctions on North Korea. That stands in contrast to Xi's trip to North Korea in 2019, when he was quoted by Chinese media as saying that Beijing was willing play a constructive role in the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. Xi's 2019 trip came after Kim's nuclear diplomacy with Trump collapsed earlier that year. Xi's trip comes just weeks after he held talks with Trump, during which the White House said the leaders "confirmed their shared goal to denuclearise North Korea". But leader Kim Jong Un's powerful sister said on the eve of the visit that North Korea's nuclear weapons programme was "the line of no retreat." Go to accessibility shortcuts Share Comments Read more Xi Jinping set for North Korea trip on Monday in first visit to Pyongyang in seven years Xi tells Putin it's 'imperative' to stop conflict in Middle East – but not Ukraine North Korea's Kim calls on military to bolster frontline defences against 'arch enemy' Xi Jinping China North Korea Kim Jong-un