Xi Jinping to Visit Pyongyang on June 8-9 — Beijing Reasserts Diplomatic Influence

Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea from June 8 to 9 at the invitation of leader Kim Jong Un, state media said. The trip is Xi’s first official overseas visit this year and his first visit to Pyongyang in seven years, underscoring Beijing’s active diplomatic push after a string of high-profile summits.

Beijing is North Korea’s principal political and economic partner. According to 2022 figures from the Washington-based National Committee on North Korea, Pyongyang depends on China for as much as 95% of its total trade and about 85% of its exports.

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the two leaders will “exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern,” and described the visit as “an opportunity to promote the development” of ties and to “make greater contributions to regional and even world peace.”

Analysts say the visit also sends a strategic message: Xi chose Pyongyang as his first foreign stop this year after hosting U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, signaling China’s role as a convening power in regional diplomacy.

Context: China, North Korea and Russia

While China remains Pyongyang’s dominant partner, North Korea has grown closer to Russia since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Media and analysts have reported that Pyongyang has sent troops and weapons to support the war effort — and in return has reportedly received financial aid, military technology, food and energy supplies that help it evade international sanctions.

Seong-Hyon Lee of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations called Xi’s choice of Pyongyang “a deliberate visual rebuttal” to Western assumptions that North Korea had slipped entirely into Moscow’s orbit.

Security Concerns and Regional Stability

China’s strategic interests include closely monitoring North Korea’s rapidly advancing nuclear programme. Hong Min of the Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU) told AFP that the programme is advancing “extremely rapidly,” and warned that provocative actions by Pyongyang could spark regional instability that runs counter to China’s interests.

“China is meeting leaders from around the world, coordinating positions and playing a mediating role,” said Lim Eul-chul, a North Korea expert at Kyungnam University.

State media in Pyongyang reported that Kim pledged an “exponential” increase in nuclear military capabilities during a recent visit to a new atomic facility — a development that heightens international concern.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said it hopes exchanges between North Korea and China will contribute to peace and stability and that Beijing can play a constructive role. Yet analysts remain skeptical that Beijing can—or will—broker broader breakthroughs, such as a meeting between Kim and U.S. leaders.

This visit is likely to focus on managing the bilateral relationship, stabilizing regional dynamics, and reaffirming China’s influence at a time of shifting geopolitical alignments.