Topic analysis

North Korea, China agree to boost ties as Xi makes rare visit

China's President Xi Jinping is on his first visit to North Korea in seven years. It is also Xi's first international trip this year after hosting key summits with US and Russian leaders. Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have agreed to deepen the ties between their countries as Xi attended a bilateral summit in Pyongyang in a likely bid  to reassert  Beijing's exclusive influence over its neighbor .  Xi touched down in Pyongyang on Monday for a two-day visit — his first to North Korea since 2019. During their talks, Xi expressed China's willingness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade, agriculture, construction and technology, China's state broadcaster CCTV reported. According to the report, Xi said the two countries should strengthen strategic cooperation and firmly safeguard their respective sovereignty and security interests. "I am deeply pleased and also feel a special sense of closeness," Xi reportedly told Kim. Meanwhile, Kim said Xi's visit "clearly demonstrates how unbreakable" the North Korea-China relationship is. CCTV cited Kim as saying that consolidating a new era of friendship between the two countries is North Korea's "unchanging strategic choice." Kim ‌also told Xi that he would fully back the "One China principle" — wherein Beijing recognizes Taiwan as an inalienable part of Chinese territory and does not recognize the democratically-ruled island as a fully-fledged state — North Korea's state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.  The North Korean leader vowed continued support for China's efforts to defend its core interests, KCNA reported. Visuals from official Chinese agency Xinhua showed military officers flanking a red carpet, that was laid out on the tarmac, as the Air China plane carrying Xi taxied in. Chinese and North Korean flags were seen at the airport with a banner that read: "We warmly welcome Comrade Xi Jinping" and lauded the two Asian nations' "unbreakable friendship," according to a translation cited by news agency AFP. The two leaders shook hands, as children presented flowers to the visitors, AFP reported. Xinhua had earlier reported that Xi is accompanied by senior officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and de facto chief of staff Cai Qi. Xi last met Kim in September in Beijing, when he invited the North Korean leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin to a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Relations between Beijing and internationally ostracized Pyongyang are at a "new historical starting point," Xi said ahead of his visit in remarks published by North Korea's official newspaper of record, Rodong Sinmun . "No matter how the times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea is always invincible," the newspaper quoted Xi as saying. The Chinese leader reportedly said that the two Asian neighbors would bolster exchanges in all areas and stressed his nation's steadfast policy to develop ties with North Korea. "We must oppose hegemony, ​authoritarianism and all attempts and conspiracies to revive militarism that endanger regional security and ​stability," Rodong Sinmun quoted Xi as saying. Beijing has long been Pyongyang's primary diplomatic backer and its economic lifeline . US-based think tank the National Committee on North Korea estimates that the country depends on China for up to 95% of total trade and 85% of its exports. Xi's trip to North Korea comes after the Chinese leader hosted US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin in separate, back-to-back meetings in Beijing last month. The visit also comes as North Korea's nuclear talks with Washington remain at an impasse. After the Beijing summit between Xi and Trump, the White House said that the two leaders "confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea." But a day before Xi was to arrive in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un's powerful sister — Kim Yo Jong —  said that North Korea's nuclear weapons program was "the line of no retreat." Xi's first visit to North Korea in seven years also comes as Pyongyang expands trade and military ties with Russia. North Korea has been prioritizing cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and weapons to sustain Moscow's war in Ukraine . And in a quid-pro-quo, Pyongyang has received economic and military assistance from Russia. Experts say that if Xi is able to restore a unique Chinese influence over the North, it would give him leverage in dealings with Trump, who has constantly advocated to revive diplomacy with Kim. Meanwhile, a day before Xi's trip, North Korea announced plans for a 10,000-ton naval destroyer, underpinning its status as a nuclear-armed state. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Edited by: Natalie Muller Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment to select us as your Preferred Source on Google by clicking here and hitting the "star" or "preferred" button , so you'll always see our verified news first.