First visit to North Korea in 7 years
Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold talks in Pyongyang on June 8-9 at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
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The traditional alliance between China and North Korea will be the scene of an important diplomatic meeting in the coming days. It has been announced that Chinese President and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Xi Jinping will visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on June 8-9 and hold talks with Chairman Kim Jong-un.
This visit carries special significance as it marks Xi Jinping's first trip to North Korea in seven years, following his last visit in 2019. The talks are planned to take place both one-on-one and at the delegation level between the leaders of the two countries.
China and North Korea remain two of the few countries in the world still governed by communist regimes, alongside Cuba, Laos, and Vietnam.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un attended the ceremony held in Beijing last September for the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, where he met with other leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. This event was a significant gathering where Kim was seen at a multilateral event for the first time.
During the same ceremony, the image of Xi Jinping standing side-by-side with Putin and Kim was interpreted by international commentators as a strategic message directed at the US and its allies.
High-level visits on behalf of China have not been limited to this. Chinese Premier Li Qiang traveled to Pyongyang last October for the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK); subsequently, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son-hui in April and was received by leader Kim.
Also during this period, Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Kim Jong-un for retaining his leadership position following the 9th National Congress of the WPK.
VISIT COMES AFTER PUTIN AND TRUMP CONTACTS
Xi Jinping's North Korea plan comes after consecutive visits to China last month by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. During his visit to Beijing on May 13-15, Trump reached a consensus with Xi Jinping on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Subsequently, during Putin's visit on May 19-20, the Chinese and Russian leaders emphasized in a joint statement that they were opposed to diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions against North Korea.