China’s Xi to visit North Korea from Jun 8 to 9 as Beijing seeks cosier ties with Pyongyang

[BEIJING] Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea from Jun 8 to 9, state news agency Xinhua said on Friday (Jun 5), his first trip in nearly seven years as Beijing looks to reinforce ties with Pyongyang.

The announcement follows separate summits Xi hosted in Beijing for US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in May.

Trump, who met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times in his first ​term, previously said he would be open ‌to ⁠meeting the North Korean leader again. Kim was a guest at a massive military parade in Beijing in September 2025, travelling to the Chinese capital on his signature green armoured train.

Beijing has worked to draw Pyongyang - its only formal treaty ally - back into its fold, after ​the Covid-19 pandemic froze exchanges and the North Korean leader deepened relations with Moscow by sending troops and ​weapons to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. REUTERS