Anadolu Staff
09 June 2026•Update: 09 June 2026
Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Tuesday after a rare two-day state visit to Pyongyang, where he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to strengthen bilateral ties and advance relations into what Xi described as a “new era.”
During talks in the North Korean capital, the two leaders agreed to deepen strategic communication, expand practical cooperation, and strengthen people-to-people exchanges, according to Chinese state media.
Xi said China and North Korea would work together to carry forward their traditional friendship and promote the high-level development of relations between the two countries.
Earlier on Monday, while speaking at a luncheon hosted by Kim, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Xi said the relationship between the two neighbors reached a "new historical starting point" as they commemorated the 65th anniversary of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance.
He stressed the need for stronger high-level exchanges and closer coordination on regional and international issues.
The two sides also had in-depth discussions on safeguarding peace and stability in the region and the world, Xi said during the luncheon, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Kim welcomed Xi’s visit, describing it as a demonstration of the importance Beijing places on ties with Pyongyang. The North Korean leader said both sides had reached an important consensus on advancing relations under changing international circumstances and contributing to regional peace and stability.
The visit, Xi’s first to North Korea in nearly seven years, comes amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in Northeast Asia and growing international attention on Pyongyang’s relations with both Beijing and Moscow.
Analysts say the trip underscores the strategic value both governments place on maintaining close diplomatic and economic cooperation.
Meanwhile, Japan is monitoring military ties between China and North Korea following the visit, according to The Japan Times.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara declined to comment on the effect of the Xi-Kim summit on the situation in Asia, during a news conference Tuesday, but stated that Tokyo is “collecting and analyzing relevant information with serious interest.”
“We will work closely with the international community, including the United States and South Korea,” he added.
