Xi Jinping to visit North Korea next week in first trip since 2019

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea on June 8-9, marking his first visit to the isolated country since 2019. The trip was confirmed by both China’s Xinhua News Agency and North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency, with Kim Jong Un extending the invitation. This will be Xi’s second visit to North Korea, following a two-day state visit in June 2019. The announcement comes amid a period of renewed high-level engagement between the longtime allies, including Kim’s September 2025 trip to Beijing for military parade talks with Xi. China remains North Korea’s largest trading partner, though ties had cooled in recent years as Pyongyang deepened military cooperation with Russia. In exchange for weapons and troops sent to Russia, North Korea reportedly receives economic support and advanced military technology, reducing its reliance on China and strengthening Kim’s leverage in negotiations. The visit follows North Korea’s June 4 unveiling of a new uranium enrichment facility, which Kim described as part of efforts to exponentially increase the country’s nuclear arsenal. It also comes after Xi’s May meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, where both leaders reaffirmed a commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization, though China’s Foreign Ministry only noted an exchange of views on the Korean Peninsula. Analysts suggest China may now view North Korea’s nuclear capabilities as a geopolitical asset, helping constrain U.S. influence amid rising Sino-American competition. South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung has sought to ease tensions with Pyongyang, while Unification Minister Chung Dong-young proposed a four-way dialogue involving both Koreas, the U.S., and China to establish a peace regime on the peninsula. South Korea’s Foreign Ministry expressed hope that Xi’s visit could play a constructive role in addressing issues related to the Korean Peninsula, as regional tensions remain high.