Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea on June 8-9, his first trip there since 2019. U.S. experts said the visit is partly aimed at weakening ties between Russia and North Korea.
The Korean Central News Agency reported on June 5 that Chinese President Xi Jinping will pay a state visit to North Korea on June 8-9 at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. China confirmed the trip. The U.S. State Department said on June 5 that President Trump and Xi reaffirmed their shared goal of denuclearizing North Korea during their summit in Beijing last month. The department added that the United States remains open to dialogue with Pyongyang without preconditions and is committed to complete denuclearization. Victor Cha, Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said during a podcast that Xi's trip is partly driven by Beijing's desire to weaken deepening Russia-North Korea ties and by U.S. calls for Chinese cooperation on North Korea. He noted that China seeks a low-cost way to attenuate the relationship without harming ties with Russia. North Korea disclosed a new nuclear material production facility just before the visit and declared it would expand nuclear capabilities. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the two countries.
