China's President Xi Jinping to Visit North Korea Next Week

Beijing. China's President Xi Jinping is going on a rare state visit to North Korea next week. According to Chinese state news agency Xinhua, Xi will hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a two-day visit starting next Monday. North Korean state news agency KCNA has also confirmed the visit.

This will be Xi's first visit to North Korea since 2019. This is seen as an effort to further strengthen the historical but sometimes complex relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang. This will also be Xi's first foreign visit in 2026.

In recent months, Xi has welcomed leaders from various countries, including US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in Beijing. According to analysts, the visit to North Korea will provide Xi with an opportunity to present himself as an influential power balancer in regional and international politics.

There has also been speculation about the timing of the visit, with China trying to play a mediating role to restart possible dialogue between the US and North Korea. Trump met with Kim three times during his first term, but efforts to end North Korea's nuclear program were unsuccessful.

Meanwhile, North Korea has continued to expand its nuclear capabilities. Recently, Kim inspected a new factory producing nuclear materials and said there were plans to increase the country's nuclear power at an exponential rate.

China is North Korea's largest economic partner and main diplomatic supporter. However, Beijing has always been cautious due to concerns that North Korea's nuclear program and weapons testing will increase regional instability. In recent years, it was assessed that China-North Korea relations had cooled somewhat as relations between Pyongyang and Moscow grew closer.

Xi's upcoming visit is also seen as an effort by China to rebalance its relationship with North Korea and maintain its influence. The visit is to be held on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance signed between the two countries in 1961. That treaty is considered China's only mutual defense treaty.