Xi Jinping to meet Kim Jong-un Monday in first North Korea visit in 7 years

[The Herald Business = Kim Sang-su] Chinese President Xi Jinping will make a state visit to North Korea on Monday and Tuesday, where he is set to hold summit talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The meeting — the two leaders' seventh face-to-face encounter — will be Xi's first visit to Pyongyang since 2019, and the world is watching closely for what the two sides agree on.

The summit is expected to serve as a checkpoint for the current state of China-North Korea relations and a forum to coordinate future cooperation, including efforts to reshape the international order around a Beijing-Moscow-Pyongyang axis as a counterweight to the United States.

The two leaders are expected to discuss the strategic restoration of the China-North Korea alliance and ways to deepen trilateral solidarity with Russia against the United States.

Xi signaled that intent earlier at his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where he emphasized building a multipolar world order and democratizing international relations — a clear pushback against US-led global structures.

North Korea, which has aligned with China and Russia in opposing Western-led sanctions pressure, is expected to reaffirm its commitment to that partnership.

The joint statement could include language on building a multipolar world order, opposing unilateralism and defending national sovereignty. This year also marks the 65th anniversary of the China-North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, which contains an automatic military intervention clause obligating each country to enter the conflict if the other is attacked.

North Korea, for its part, has a pressing need for closer ties with China. Having secured Russia as a security patron through military cooperation, Pyongyang is expected to seek economic breathing room and broader opportunities through a restoration of its relationship with Beijing.

The Korean Peninsula situation is also a key agenda item. Kim is expected to brief the Chinese side on his "two hostile states" doctrine — which rejects any dialogue with South Korea — and press the case for North Korea's right to possess an advanced nuclear arsenal. North Korean state media reported on Kim's visit to a "new nuclear facility" the day before Xi's visit was announced, a move widely read as a deliberate display of nuclear capability. How far China is willing to endorse North Korea's nuclear policy will be a central question.

The prospect of resumed US-North Korea talks is also drawing attention, with Pyongyang expected to calibrate its response in strategic coordination with Beijing. On the economic front, observers are watching for discussions on expanding bilateral trade and developing border areas — particularly the question of North Korea granting China maritime access through the lower Tumen River. China has long sought a stable sea route connecting Hunchun in Jilin Province to Donghae.

North Korea also places importance on developing the Rason Special Economic Zone and expanding logistics infrastructure. Cooperation on those fronts could be on the table as well.

Discussions may also cover expanding Chinese tourism to North Korea — an area Pyongyang is keen on — along with measures to normalize bilateral trade.