Xi scheduled to meet Kim in the near future
Istanbul (ANTARA) - Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during an important visit to Pyongyang, as both parties seek to enhance relations, according to Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Mao Ning on Sunday.
The two-day state visit, commencing Monday, marks Xi’s first journey to North Korea in seven years, following an invitation from Kim. It will also serve as Xi’s first overseas trip this year, aimed at deepening relations, promoting development, and contributing to “peace, stability, development, and prosperity in the region and the world at large.”
The Chinese leader last visited North Korea in 2019, becoming the first Chinese president to visit the country in 14 years. The 72-year-old also travelled to Pyongyang in 2008 during his tenure as Vice President, where he met Kim Jong Il, the late North Korean leader. Xi and Kim last met in September when Kim attended a military parade in Beijing to commemorate the 80th anniversary of China’s Victory Day.
Xi’s visit occurs amidst changing regional dynamics, including the strengthening of ties between Pyongyang and Moscow through the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement signed in 2024, which includes mutual defence commitments. Last month, Xi hosted US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing for separate, near-consecutive visits. Following those visits, the White House stated that Xi and Trump reaffirmed shared goals for the denuclearisation of North Korea. While Beijing has not disclosed details of the discussions, it stated that China is working in its “own way” towards a “political settlement” of the nuclear issue.
Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, stated on Sunday that the nation’s status as a nuclear-armed state is “irreversible” and that its nuclear weapons programme is “non-negotiable,” rejecting international denuclearisation efforts. This follows Kim Jong Un’s recent pledge to expand North Korea’s nuclear capabilities “at a many-fold rate.”
The timing of Xi’s visit has sparked speculation regarding whether he intends to act as a mediator between Trump and Kim Jong Un. China remains North Korea’s most significant economic partner, with bilateral trade rising to $2.79 billion last year, the highest level since the coronavirus pandemic and approaching 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Passenger train services between the two nations resumed in March after a six-year pandemic-induced suspension, followed by the resumption of direct flights by Air China between the capitals. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the China-North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance—the only defence pact China holds with any nation. North Korea’s economy is projected to grow by 3.7 per cent in 2024, its largest expansion in eight years, according to data from the South Korean central bank, driven by stronger exports and progress in the construction and manufacturing sectors.