Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and president of China, holds talks with Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, September 4, 2025.
Huang Jingwen Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Pyongyang is expected to begin on Monday, as Beijing tests its influence on a neighbor that is being dragged into Russia’s orbit.
The two-day trip will be Xi’s first to North Korea in nearly seven years and he is expected to hold talks with leader Kim Jong Un. In a statement published in North Korea’s state newspaper before his arrival, Xi pledged “unwavering” friendship and vowed to deepen bilateral cooperation in many areas, including military.
“North Korea has more leverage vis-a-vis China compared to June 2019, when Xi last visited Pyongyang,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, senior fellow at the Stimson Center’s Korea Program, citing deepening military ties with Moscow, advances in its nuclear program, and an improved economy in recent years.
North Korea is expected to use the summit to exert economic pressure, and possibly Beijing to quietly recognize its nuclear status – something Russia is believed to have secretly agreed to, Lee added. China has publicly opposed Pyongyang’s nuclear tests in the past, but its current stance is unclear and “the North Koreans seem determined to clarify that during Xi’s visit,” he said.
Kim has sought to build closer military and trade ties with Moscow, sending troops to fight in Ukraine while continuing to build up his nuclear arsenal in violation of UN sanctions. That cooperation has given Pyongyang new power, analysts say.
“Xi wants to oppose all Russian influence in North Korea because of their military cooperation in the European war,” said Victor Cha, president of the department of geopolitics and foreign policy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “China doesn’t like anyone else to have more influence on Pyongyang than they do.”
The two leaders last met in September when Kim visited Beijing for a Chinese military exhibition, along with other foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The trip is Xi’s first overseas visit this year as the Chinese leader has curtailed his international travel following the pandemic and hosted visiting leaders in Beijing instead.
In Beijing, China is likely to seek Pyongyang’s alignment with Taiwan and push back on what it sees as Japan’s defense buildup, Lee said, adding that controlling the growing threat on the Korean peninsula is also a key objective.
Ahead of Xi’s visit, North Korea unveiled a new uranium enrichment facility, with Kim announcing plans to strengthen the country’s nuclear forces at an “outstanding level,” signaling Pyongyang’s desire to stabilize its status as a nuclear weapons state.
“The fact that Xi has decided to make his first overseas trip in 2026 to North Korea shows the level of importance Beijing attaches to the effort to strengthen relations,” said William Yang, senior analyst at Crisis Group in Northeast Asia.
Some analysts believe Xi may also be carrying a message from US President Donald Trump, who has expressed his willingness to resume talks with Kim. North Korea, however, has insisted that Washington drop its denuclearization condition before any talks begin.
South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday it hoped Xi’s visit “will play a positive role in resolving issues related to the Korean Peninsula.” The country’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said last month that a potential Pyongyang-Washington summit could be on the agenda for this week’s summit.
