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 commentary published in North Korea’s state newspaper ahead of his arrival, Xi pledged “unwavering” friendship and vowed to deepen bilateral cooperation across multiple areas, including the 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 deepened military ties with Moscow, advances in its nuclear program, and an improved economy in recent years.