Xi Begins First DPRK State Visit Since 2019 Trip
Xi Jinping began a two-day state visit to the DPRK following months of renewed diplomatic exchanges and the restoration of transport links between the two countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang for a two-day state visit, his first trip to the DPRK since 2019. Archive Photo: AFP
June 8, 2026 Hour: 1:22 am
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Chinese president arrives in DPRK amid renewed diplomatic engagement and restored transport links between the two countries.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for a two-day state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), his first trip to the country since 2019 and his first official overseas visit of the year.
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The visit, made at the invitation of DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, follows a period of intensified bilateral contacts and the recent restoration of passenger transport links between the neighboring countries.
Xi’s visit marks his second trip to Pyongyang as China’s head of state and comes after a series of senior-level exchanges that have reinforced diplomatic engagement between Beijing and Pyongyang.
In September 2025, DPRK Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui visited China. One month later, Chinese Premier Li Qiang traveled to Pyongyang to attend celebrations marking the anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also visited the DPRK in April this year.
The renewed diplomatic activity has coincided with the reopening of passenger connections suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, rail and air services between Beijing and Pyongyang resumed after a six-year interruption caused by the DPRK’s border closure.
Ahead of his arrival, Xi reaffirmed support for continued cooperation between the two countries in an article published by the DPRK newspaper Rodong Sinmun. He called for stronger bilateral coordination in response to “hegemonism” and “power politics.”
China remains the DPRK’s principal political and economic partner. The two countries share a border stretching more than 1,400 kilometers and maintain significant trade ties, including exchanges involving food and energy. Those economic relations continue to operate within the framework of international sanctions linked to the DPRK’s nuclear program.
The visit also takes place weeks after Xi met U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing in May. Following the meeting, the White House said the two leaders had reaffirmed a “shared goal” of denuclearizing North Korea. That wording did not appear in China’s official account of the talks.
On Sunday, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of the DPRK leader, rejected the U.S. characterization, describing the country’s nuclear status as irreversible and an indisputable reality. She also called the U.S. statement false information.
Xi and Kim most recently met in September 2025 during a military parade in Beijing commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific. The event brought together the Chinese and DPRK leaders alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Xi’s visit highlights the continuation of high-level exchanges between China and the DPRK as both countries deepen diplomatic contacts and restore channels for travel and communication following years of reduced interaction.
Author: MK
Source: Xinhua / EFE
