Xi Jinping in Pyongyang: Beijing Seeks Closer Ties with a Partner Turning Toward Russia

It is Xi's first foreign trip of this year and his first visit to North Korea in nearly seven years. China is North Korea's only formal alliance partner; the two states are bound by a mutual assistance pact that remains in force to this day. China and North Korea fought side by side in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. The dictatorially governed North Korea is largely isolated internationally and receives diplomatic, economic, and political support from Beijing.

Guest Article in the Party Newspaper

Even before his arrival, Xi had written a guest article for the North Korean party newspaper Rodong Sinmun about an «unbreakable and lasting friendship» and about «new development opportunities» for both countries. In the article, he called for a «historic restart» of relations and opposed «hegemonism and power politics» – formulations with which Beijing frequently means the United States without naming them. Both countries must jointly reject «attempts and conspiracies to revive militarism,» Xi wrote.

At Monday's meeting, Xi assured Kim of China's support, «regardless of how the international situation changes,» according to Xinhua. Both sides should «maintain high-level exchanges as a guiding principle and build on the foundation of mutual political trust.» Kim reportedly replied that strengthening bilateral relations was a top strategic priority. China also announced closer cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, and science.

North Korea's Nuclear Threats

The visit takes place against the backdrop of new nuclear threats from North Korea. Kim had recently announced a significant expansion of his country's nuclear arsenal and, according to his own statements, visited a new production facility for weapons-grade nuclear material. Estimates suggest North Korea possesses around 50 nuclear warheads but is not officially recognized as a nuclear weapons state. In 2023, Pyongyang enshrined its status as a nuclear power in its constitution.

The day before the state visit, North Korea once again clearly rejected diplomatic efforts toward nuclear disarmament. Kim Yo Jong, the politically influential sister of the ruler, declared over the weekend that North Korea's status as a nuclear power was an «irreversible reality – regardless of whether others recognize it or not.» On Sunday, she reiterated that North Korea's nuclear status was «absolutely not negotiable.»

Growing Closeness to Russia

At the same time, North Korea has turned noticeably toward Russia in recent years. Following Russia's attack on Ukraine in 2022, Moscow and Pyongyang concluded a security agreement. North Korea delivered large quantities of ammunition and artillery shells to Russia and, according to Western estimates, sent up to 15,000 soldiers to support Russian forces in the Ukraine war. In return, North Korea reportedly receives important resources, new trade routes, and military know-how from Russia.

Minseon Ku of DePaul University in Chicago told the news agency AFP that the power dynamic between Moscow and Pyongyang was more balanced than that between Beijing and Pyongyang. Moscow needs Kim for the war in Ukraine, while Kim needs technology and food from Russia. Seong-Hyon Lee, a visiting researcher at the Asia Center of Harvard University, told AFP that China's broader strategy benefits from a stable, heavily armed, and allied buffer state that absorbs the military forces of the US and its allies.

The economic data underscore China's central role: bilateral trade rose by 25 percent last year to 2.7 billion US dollars, reaching pre-pandemic levels. China is by far North Korea's largest trading partner. At the same time, the population's situation is precarious: a large share of people in North Korea is undernourished.

China's Strategic Interests

The US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) expects Xi to focus primarily on consolidating China's traditional position as North Korea's most important partner. Victor Cha, a former senior US diplomat and current president of the Geopolitics and Foreign Policy department at CSIS, expects China to position itself more clearly on North Korea's side than before. Gabriela Bernal wrote in her newsletter «Peninsula Dispatch» that North Korea is increasingly setting the terms for engagement with the world's great powers.

Some observers also see Xi's trip as an attempt to counter the growing Russian influence in Pyongyang. Mitch Shin, a fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, said Kim's decisions had even «direct implications for Euro-Atlantic security.» Kim had met with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin in September 2025 on the sidelines of a large military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Japan.

Outlook on the Disarmament Issue

It remains to be seen whether the trip will yield progress on the long-stalled issue of nuclear disarmament. Washington demands the complete abandonment of North Korea's nuclear weapons program; Pyongyang rejects this. China officially maintains its stated goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but according to expert assessments, Beijing has likely accepted North Korea as a nuclear power and will not force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear program, instead pressing for stability in the region.

The White House had said following US President Donald Trump's visit to Beijing a few weeks ago that both sides had reaffirmed the «shared goal of denuclearization of North Korea.» Trump is also said to have delivered a message to Kim for Xi during his visit to Beijing. Beijing has not confirmed this account to date.

Diplomatic signals from Seoul and Tokyo also remain cautious: South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi have both expressed willingness to meet with North Korea's leader. Xi and Kim have already met six times in the past. Xi's current visit is his third trip to North Korea overall, following those in 2008 and 2019. According to Chinese sources, the trip is taking place at Kim's invitation.

The reporting is based, among other sources, on the Chinese state agency Xinhua, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, and the news agency AFP. A report was broadcast on 8 June 2026 on the Deutschlandfunk program.