Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea on Monday for his first overseas trip of the year, describing relations between Beijing and Pyongyang as an “invincible friendship.” The visit comes after Xi hosted separate summits in Beijing with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
China remains North Korea’s largest trading partner and its most significant source of economic and diplomatic support despite international sanctions on Pyongyang. Footage released by Xinhua showed military officers welcoming Xi on a red carpet upon his arrival. Banners at the airport welcomed the Chinese leader and praised the countries’ longstanding friendship.
The trip takes place as nuclear negotiations between North Korea and the United States remain stalled. While the White House said Xi and Trump had reaffirmed their shared objective of denuclearising North Korea during their recent meeting, Kim Jong Un’s sister reiterated ahead of Xi’s visit that the country’s nuclear weapons programme was “the line of no retreat”.
Experts suggest Beijing is now focused more on maintaining stability than pressing North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal. Analysts noted that China appears increasingly committed to ensuring the durability of the North Korean regime, viewing a stable and aligned neighbour as strategically important amid regional tensions and competition with the United States.
North Korea has repeatedly declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear state since talks between Kim and Trump collapsed in 2019. Pyongyang has also strengthened ties with Moscow during the war in Ukraine, providing military support to Russia in exchange for assistance and cooperation.
In an article published by North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun newspaper, Xi pledged stronger cooperation, writing that “No matter how the times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea is always invincible.”
Analysts say the visit may also serve China’s broader regional objectives, including reinforcing alliances at a time of heightened tensions over Taiwan and growing security cooperation among the United States, South Korea and Japan. Observers believe Beijing is seeking to bring Pyongyang more closely into its diplomatic orbit as geopolitical competition in East Asia intensifies.
