Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea on Monday for a two-day state visit, marking his first trip to Pyongyang in nearly seven years as Beijing moves to strengthen relations with its long-time ally amid North Korea’s deepening ties with Russia.
According to China’s Xinhua News Agency, Xi travelled to Pyongyang at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, senior Communist Party official Cai Qi, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Footage broadcast by Chinese state television showed Kim and his wife, Ri Sol-ju, welcoming Xi and Peng at Pyongyang International Airport. The two leaders shook hands on the tarmac as North Korean children presented bouquets to the visiting Chinese delegation.
A red carpet was laid out for the arrival ceremony, while the airport and surrounding areas were decorated with the national flags of both countries.
Xinhua reported that Xi later attended an official welcome ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square, one of North Korea’s most prominent public venues.
The visit is expected to include high-level talks focusing on bilateral economic cooperation, developments on the Korean Peninsula, and coordination among Pyongyang, Beijing and Moscow.
Ahead of Xi’s arrival, streets across Pyongyang were adorned with portraits of the Chinese president, national flags and banners celebrating the long-standing friendship between China and North Korea.
Chinese media also reported on the resumption of train services between China and North Korea, with journalists travelling from the Chinese border city of Dandong to Pyongyang aboard a passenger train route that resumed operations earlier this year.
Xi last visited North Korea on June 20–21, 2019, in what was his first state visit to the country since becoming China’s president in 2012.
The most recent meeting between Xi and Kim took place in September during China’s Victory Day celebrations in Beijing, where they appeared alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a military parade.
