North Korea’s Kim Jong Un hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping weeks after hosting Russia’s Putin | Today’s news

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un gave a grand welcome to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday (local time). But the North Korean leader welcomes his guest from a position of considerable trust, with the country having changed significantly since Xi’s last trip seven years ago.

NBC News reported that Kim’s support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine paid off; its weapons program has bolstered the country’s status as a de facto nuclear power, and the economy, weakened by years of restrictions and sanctions by the COVID-19 pandemic, has regained strength in recent years.

Read also | The world’s most surprising economic success is… North Korea

Kim was joined by his wife Ri Sol Ju as Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan stepped off the plane in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Xi-Kim expresses hope for greater ties

The two leaders also underlined their commitment to deepening cooperation at the closely watched summit. Xi arrived at Pyongyang’s main square, where a military honor guard and thousands of people, including balloon-carrying and bouncing children, held a welcoming ceremony. Buildings surrounding the square were draped in the flags of both countries, giant portraits of Kim and Xi Jinping and red and yellow banners welcoming the Chinese leader and celebrating “friendship and unity of nations,” the AP reported.

At the summit, Xi expressed Beijing’s willingness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas, including trade, agriculture, construction and technology, Chinese state television CCTV said in an online report. Xi Jinping further said that the two sides should strengthen strategic cooperation and firmly protect their sovereignty and security interests, according to the report.

Read also | North Korea unveils new nuclear fuel plant as Kim points to ‘ferocious enemies’

The Chinese leader said the friendship between the two countries was “unbreakable”. Kim said Xi’s visit “clearly shows how unbreakable” the two countries’ relationship is, CCTV reported. The North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun called the visit a demonstration of the “invincibility” of their relationship.

Xi’s visit came after Kim showed off his newfound status by hosting top officials from Russia, Belarus, Singapore and Vietnam. According to a report by NBC News, however, he’s not the only one who might be feeling good about his position. In early May, Kim’s Chinese counterpart had a star-studded guest list, including high-profile visits from US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he seeks to project China as a stable global power amid turmoil sparked by the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Read also | US-Israel-Iran war news live: Tehran halts offensive operation, military says

China angry over North Korea-Russia relations?

China has long been North Korea’s economic lifeline and main diplomatic supporter. The AP, citing experts, said Beijing has avoided fully enforcing UN sanctions against Pyongyang and has sent secret aid to help its impoverished neighbor stay afloat. This year marks 65 years since the two countries signed a mutual defense treaty.

But questions have been raised about their ties in recent years, with North Korea favoring cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and weapons to support its war against Ukraine. In return, North Korea received economic and military aid from Russia.

Restoring sole influence over North Korea would give Xi leverage in negotiations with Trump, who has repeatedly expressed a desire to resume diplomacy with Kim, experts say.

relations between China and North Korea

The volume of bilateral trade between China and North Korea recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2025. Earlier this year, the two sides also resumed direct flights and passenger train services that had been suspended since the pandemic. Xi Jinping said on Monday that the two countries should use the reopening of air and train services as an opportunity to expand people-to-people exchanges.

However, it remains to be seen how the meeting between the two parties will turn out.