WNAM MONITORING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to North Korea next week, marking his first trip to the country in seven years, Beijing and Pyongyang announced Friday.
The two-day visit, beginning Monday, comes at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
North Korean state media also confirmed the invitation and the trip.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters in Beijing that the visit aims to deepen bilateral relations, promote development and contribute to “peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large.”
She noted that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the China-North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance – the only defense pact China has with any nation.
The visit will be Xi’s first overseas trip this year and his first visit to North Korea since 2019, when he became the first Chinese president in 14 years to travel to the country.
The two nations’ leaders last met in September when Kim attended a Chinese military parade in Beijing to mark the 80th anniversary of China’s Victory Day.
Xi’s trip comes at a time of shifting regional dynamics, including the strengthening of ties between Pyongyang and Moscow under a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty signed in 2024, which includes mutual defense commitments.
Last month, Xi hosted both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing.
After the visit, the White House said Xi and Trump reaffirmed a shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea. Beijing has not disclosed details of their discussions but has said China is working in “its own way” toward a “political settlement” of the nuclear issue.
Kim this week vowed to expand North Korea’s nuclear capabilities “at an exponential rate” and has stressed his country’s nuclear status is “irreversible.”
China remains North Korea’s most important economic partner. Bilateral trade rose to about $2.79 billion last year, the highest level since the COVID-19 pandemic and close to pre-pandemic levels recorded in 2019.
North Korea’s economy grew an estimated 3.7% in 2024, its largest expansion in eight years, according to data released by South Korea’s central bank. The growth was driven by stronger exports and advances in the construction and manufacturing sectors.
