Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un Begin Pyongyang Summit... Discuss Restoring North Korea-China Relations

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a state visit to North Korea, held a summit meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on June 8.

According to the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of China, President Xi and Chairman Kim were holding a summit at the Kumsusan State Guesthouse in Pyongyang as of 5:05 p.m. Beijing time (6:05 p.m. Korean time) on this day.

During the meeting, President Xi reportedly stated that "North Korea and China need to strengthen exchanges in diplomacy, law enforcement, and the military, among other areas."

Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to North Korea from the 8th to the 9th, according to announcements made by China and North Korea on the 5th. This visit marks President Xi's first trip to North Korea in about seven years since June 2019 and is his second visit since Kim Jong Un came to power. Yonhap News

Experts predict that this visit will serve as an opportunity to realign North Korea-China relations, which had been perceived as somewhat distant following North Korea's recent closeness with Russia.

Attention is focused on the North Korean nuclear issue. As North Korea has repeatedly emphasized that its status as a nuclear-armed state is an irreversible red line, observers are watching closely how extensively the two leaders will discuss related matters.

Earlier in the day, President Xi, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, departed Beijing by private plane and arrived in Pyongyang around noon. At the airport, they were welcomed in person by Chairman Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju.

Afterward, President Xi attended the official welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square together with Chairman Kim and his wife before moving to the Kumsusan State Guesthouse, which serves as both his accommodation and the venue for the summit.

This marks President Xi’s first visit to North Korea in seven years since 2019. It is also the first in-person meeting between the leaders of North Korea and China in nine months, since Chairman Kim visited Beijing in September last year to attend the 80th anniversary ceremony of the Chinese Victory Day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.