Overview
- Chinese state media and a CCP International Department spokesperson announced on June 5, 2026 that Xi accepted an invitation from Kim Jong Un to visit Pyongyang on June 8–9.
- The visit is formally described as a state visit and will include a meeting between Xi and Kim in Pyongyang.
- Beijing frames the trip as a chance to manage nuclear risks and strengthen bilateral cooperation as North Korea expands military ties with other powers.
- Analysts say the visit lets China reassert influence over a close ally after increased North Korea–Russia engagement and follows Kim’s visit to Beijing last September.
- This will be Xi’s first state visit to North Korea since June 2019 and could shape regional diplomacy by clarifying Beijing’s stance toward Pyongyang and nearby capitals.