Ahead of Xi Jinping's Visit, North Korea Reaffirms Commitment to Nuclear Weapons

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit North Korea in the near future. Ahead of this visit, North Korea has reaffirmed that it will maintain its status as a nuclear-armed state.

According to Reuters on Sunday (7/6/2026), Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, stated that North Korea will never retreat from its status as a nuclear-armed nation. She warned that the country would not tolerate any threats, as reported by the state-run news agency KCNA on Thursday.

President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit North Korea on Monday (8/6). This visit marks his first trip to North Korea in almost seven years, as Beijing seeks to strengthen ties with Pyongyang, China’s only formal ally bound by a treaty.

Kim Yo Jong described US claims that Xi and US President Donald Trump agreed on denuclearisation goals during their summit in May as “untrue.” She added that North Korea “possesses the most accurate information” regarding those claims.

“The policy to continue strengthening nuclear war deterrence capabilities for self-defence, as stated by the head of state, is a final and irrevocable decision that must be implemented without condition,” she said.

Earlier this week, North Korea introduced a new facility for the production of nuclear materials. On this occasion, Kim Jong Un called for an “exponential” expansion of the country’s nuclear arsenal.

Analysts suggest that the new uranium enrichment facility appears intended to strengthen North Korea’s bargaining position ahead of the Xi-Kim meeting, while also serving as a reason to accelerate the development of its nuclear capabilities.

Kim Jong Un also visited a large munitions factory and ordered that the nation’s missile production capacity be increased 2.5 times over the next five years, as reported by Yonhap News Agency on Sunday, citing the North Korean state newspaper, The Rodong Sinmun.