Chinese President Set for Talks with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang
The two-day state visit, commencing Monday at Kim's personal invitation, marks Xi's first journey to North Korea since 2019 — and his first international trip of the year. Beijing says the visit aims to deepen bilateral relations, accelerate development, and advance "peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large."
When Xi last set foot in Pyongyang in 2019, he became the first Chinese head of state to visit the reclusive nation in 14 years. The 72-year-old leader had previously traveled to North Korea in 2008 in his capacity as vice president, when the late Kim Jong Il held power. The two current leaders most recently came face-to-face in September, when Kim Jong Un attended a Chinese military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of China's Victory Day.
Xi's arrival in Pyongyang coincides with a rapidly shifting geopolitical landscape. North Korea and Russia have significantly tightened their relationship under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty — inked in 2024 — which carries mutual defense obligations. Just last month, Xi hosted both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing in separate, near-consecutive summits.
Following Trump's Beijing meeting, the White House announced that Xi and Trump had reaffirmed a mutual commitment to denuclearizing North Korea. Beijing, however, has remained tight-lipped about the substance of those discussions, saying only that China is working in "its own way" toward a "political settlement" of the nuclear issue.
Yet denuclearization appears increasingly remote. Kim Yo-jong, the formidable sister of the North Korean leader, declared Sunday that Pyongyang's nuclear-armed status is "absolutely irreversible" and its weapons program "is nonnegotiable, rejecting international efforts aimed at denuclearization." Her remarks follow Kim Jong Un's own vow to grow North Korea's nuclear arsenal "at an exponential rate," reiterating that the country's nuclear standing is "irreversible."
Against that backdrop, Xi's visit has ignited widespread speculation that Beijing may be positioning itself as a potential mediator between Washington and Pyongyang.
Economically, the visit underscores China's indispensable role as North Korea's primary trading partner. Bilateral trade surged to $2.79 billion in 2024 — the highest figure since the COVID-19 pandemic and approaching pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019. Connectivity between the two nations is also being restored: passenger rail services linking the capitals resumed in March following a six-year pandemic-driven halt, and Air China has since relaunched direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang.
The summit arrives in a milestone year — the 65th anniversary of the China–North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, the only formal defense pact China maintains with any country worldwide.
Economically, North Korea appears to be gaining momentum. Its economy expanded an estimated 3.7% in 2024 — its strongest growth in eight years — powered by rising exports and gains across the construction and manufacturing sectors, according to data from South Korea's central bank.
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