Xi Visits Pyongyang for 1st Summit in 7 Years as Kim Leverages Russia Ties
Updated
Updated · Reuters · Jun 7
Xi Visits Pyongyang for 1st Summit in 7 Years as Kim Leverages Russia Ties
3 articles · Updated · Reuters · Jun 7
Summary
Xi Jinping began a two-day visit to Pyongyang on Monday, his first trip to North Korea in seven years, with Kim Jong Un greeting him from a position Reuters described as unusually strong.
Russia's backing has boosted Kim's leverage through military cooperation, trade and support for his nuclear buildup, while Beijing has shown little sign it will try to halt that expansion.
China is using the summit to pull North Korea back toward its orbit, with the most likely concrete outcomes centered on economic cooperation as Pyongyang launches a five-year development plan.
Tourism is a key target: Chinese visitors made up about 90% of North Korea's foreign tourists before the 2020 border closure, giving Beijing potential influence as travel links slowly resume.
The meeting also underscores how far Pyongyang has moved from talks with Washington and Seoul, even as South Korea hopes Xi can help reopen inter-Korean dialogue.
Is China losing its influence over North Korea to Russia, or is this a calculated move against US-led alliances?
As North Korea's arsenal grows, will South Korea and Japan inevitably seek their own nuclear weapons?
With Russian tech and a new 'hostile states' policy, has North Korea's nuclear threat become irreversible?
Xi Jinping’s 2026 Pyongyang Visit and the Rising China-Russia-North Korea Axis: Shifting Power, Sanctions Evasion, and Regional Instability
Overview
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s two-day visit to Pyongyang on June 8-9, 2026, highlights Beijing’s strategy to reaffirm its indispensable influence over North Korea and remind the world that Pyongyang remains dependent on China. By engaging directly with Kim Jong-un, Xi aims to project China’s image as a global superpower and underscore its pivotal role in regional stability. The visit also allows China to pursue strategic economic interests while carefully navigating the sensitive issue of denuclearization, signaling that Beijing cannot be sidelined in discussions about the Korean Peninsula’s future.