Xi set to meet Kim as China, North Korea move to boost ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his crucial visit to Pyongyang as the two sides seek to boost ties, according to Beijing’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

The two-day state visit starting Monday marks Xi's first trip to North Korea in seven years, and comes at Kim's invitation.

It will also be Xi's first overseas trip of the year, which aims to deepen relations, promote development and contribute to “peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large.”

The Chinese leader last visited North Korea in 2019, becoming the first Chinese president in 14 years to travel to the country.

The 72-year-old also travelled to Pyongyang in 2008 when he was vice president and Kim’s father, Kim Jong Il, was North Korea’s leader.

Xi and Kim 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 the US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing for separate, almost back-to-back visits.

The White House said after the visit that Xi and Trump reaffirmed a shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea. Beijing has not disclosed details of the discussions but said China is working in "its own way" toward a "political settlement" of the nuclear issue.

Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader, Sunday said thqt the country's status as a nuclear-armed state is "absolutely irreversible" and its nuclear weapons program “is nonnegotiable, rejecting international efforts aimed at denuclearization.”

Her statement came days after Kim vowed to expand North Korea’s nuclear capabilities "at an exponential rate” and stressed his country’s nuclear status is “irreversible.”

The timing of Xi’s trip has triggered speculation about whether he is aiming to act as a mediator between Trump and Kim.

China remains North Korea's most important economic partner. Trade between the two rose to $2.79 billion last year, the highest since the coronavirus pandemic, and close to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.​​​​​​​

Passenger train services between the two countries resumed in March, marking a six-year pandemic-induced suspension, followed by the resumption of direct flights by Air China between the capitals.

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.

North Korea's economy grew an estimated 3.7% in 2024, its largest expansion in eight years, according to data from South Korea's central bank. The growth was driven by stronger exports and advances in the construction and manufacturing sectors.