China, North Korea reaffirm strong ties as Xi visits Pyongyang

PYONGYANG: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea today, hailing Beijing’s relationship with Pyongyang as an “invincible friendship” during his first overseas visit of the year and his first trip to the reclusive state since 2019.

The visit comes at a diplomatically sensitive moment, following Xi’s recent summits in Beijing with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, while nuclear negotiations between North Korea and Washington remain stalled.

China, widely regarded as North Korea’s most important ally and largest trading partner, has long served as a key diplomatic and economic lifeline for Pyongyang, which continues to face multiple international sanctions over its nuclear weapons programme.

Footage aired by Chinese state media showed military personnel lined along a red carpet as an Air China aircraft carrying Xi landed in Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, accompanied by First Lady Ri Sol-ju, personally welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at the airport.

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for a state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. pic.twitter.com/yM5GF5HCfT

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) June 8, 2026

The two leaders exchanged handshakes as children presented bouquets of flowers, while large banners carrying messages of friendship were displayed alongside Chinese and North Korean national flags. One banner warmly welcomed “Comrade Xi Jinping” and praised the “unbreakable friendship” between the two neighbouring nations.

Xi’s visit comes amid renewed international attention on North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. The White House recently said Xi and Trump had reaffirmed a shared commitment to the denuclearisation of North Korea during talks in Beijing.

However, North Korea signalled no shift in policy ahead of Xi’s arrival. Kim Jong Un’s influential sister declared that the country’s nuclear weapons programme remained “the line of no retreat,” reinforcing Pyongyang’s longstanding refusal to abandon its military capabilities.

Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung reiterated today that Seoul should not abandon denuclearisation efforts, warning that North Korea continues to produce nuclear material.

Experts say Beijing’s priorities may be evolving. According to regional analysts, China increasingly appears focused on preserving regional stability rather than actively pressuring Pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons.

Some observers suggest Beijing may have informally accepted North Korea’s nuclear status while prioritising stability on the Korean Peninsula amid broader geopolitical tensions with Washington.

Others argue Xi’s visit may also serve as a strategic effort to counter Russia’s growing influence in North Korea. Since the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict, Pyongyang has strengthened military and political ties with Moscow, reportedly providing troops and receiving technological and economic support in return.

Despite Russia’s expanding relationship with North Korea, analysts note that China continues to hold far greater long-term influence due to deep economic interdependence and historical ties.

In an article published in North Korea’s state newspaper, Xi reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to closer cooperation, writing that the traditional friendship between China and North Korea would remain strong regardless of shifting global circumstances.

“No matter how the times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea is always invincible,” Xi wrote.

The visit also reflects North Korea’s unique strategic importance to Beijing, as Pyongyang remains China’s only treaty-bound military ally and serves as a geopolitical buffer against US allies in the region, including South Korea and Japan.

Regional experts believe China may increasingly seek to bring North Korea closer into its diplomatic orbit as tensions in East Asia continue to intensify over security, Taiwan and regional military alliances.