Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to begin a two-day visit to North Korea on Monday, his first trip to Pyongyang in nearly seven years.
The visit comes as Beijing works to reinforce ties with its nuclear-armed neighbour and reassert influence at a time when North Korea’s external links have shifted sharply in Russia’s favour.
The summit is intended to draw Pyongyang back into China’s orbit. This trip is the latest in a series of steps by China to strengthen its relationship with North Korea.
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🚨 Behind the Scenes of the Pyongyang Summit 🇰🇵🇨🇳: Has China Begun Playing the “Arterial War” Card?
— 🇸🇦Abdulsalam Saleh (@abdulslam2017) June 7, 2026
Behind the Scenes of Xi Jinping’s Visit to North Korea: Why Did the Nuclear Escalation Come Before the Summit?
What Radio France Internationale (RFI) published in its Chinese… pic.twitter.com/A1usERLdtW
Kim’s moment of confidence
For Kim Jong Un, the optics are equally important.
Kim is receiving Xi, feeling in a position of strength thanks to a firm partnership with Russia, a nuclear arsenal and little visible interest in renewed engagement with Washington.
The North Korean leader has deepened military and trade ties with Moscow since Russia’s war in Ukraine began, while continuing to expand his nuclear programme in defiance of United Nations sanctions.
On the eve of Xi’s arrival, North Korea also announced plans for a 10,000-ton naval destroyer and reaffirmed its status as a nuclear-armed state.
🇰🇵🇨🇳 Kim Jong Un is showing Xi Jinping exactly what North Korea is worth before he lands in Pyongyang.
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) June 6, 2026
A 10,000-ton destroyer and naval deployments. All supervised personally by Kim, days before Xi's first visit in seven years.
Beijing has long treated North Korea as a burden… https://t.co/1godINb0gX pic.twitter.com/dxody3GV2K
China weighs Russia’s growing influence
China is watching the Russia-North Korea alignment closely. Beijing is wary of how far Moscow’s influence over Pyongyang may extend, with one analyst saying China likely wants to “reassert its influence over North Korea and prevent Pyongyang from leaning too heavily toward Moscow”.
Reuters also quoted analyst Andrew Gilholm of Control Risks as saying, “Having Xi visit Pyongyang is a big deal,” describing the trip as the culmination of a “good couple of ‘comeback’ years” for Kim. The same report said North Korea is likely to seek more trade and investment from China as Russian support gives it greater confidence.
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The wider chessboard comes into view
The talks also come against a broader backdrop of shifting regional security dynamics. AP noted that Xi last visited North Korea in 2019, after Kim’s summit with then-US president Donald Trump collapsed over denuclearisation and sanctions relief.
China remains North Korea’s biggest benefactor and the only country with which it has a mutual defence treaty, even as Beijing continues to support denuclearisation in principle.
South Korea’s foreign ministry said it hoped Xi’s trip would “play a constructive role in addressing issues related to the Korean Peninsula,” underscoring the regional stakes attached to the visit.
