Xi positions himself as key arbiter on Korean Peninsula with series of summits

Front row, left to right: Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s first lady Peng Liyuan, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stand for a photo during celebrations commemorating China’s Victory Day on Sept. 3, 2025, in Beijing, China. (TASS/Yonhap)

As speculation mounts over the possibility of Chinese President Xi Jinping visiting North Korea, attention is focused on what he and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might discuss at a potential summit. As Xi has recently engaged in summits with the US and Russia, with only a week between the two meetings, he is expected to share details from those summits and exchange opinions on US-North Korea dialogue, North Korea’s nuclear program, and matters concerning the Korean Peninsula. The South Korean government is closely monitoring the situation, believing Xi’s visit to North Korea to be a potential opportunity to ease tensions in inter-Korean relations. Recently, numerous signs have pointed to a likely visit to North Korea by Xi. In March, North Korea and China resumed a passenger train service linking Beijing and Pyongyang for the first time in six years. Notably, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also made his first visit to North Korea in six years and seven months in April. If Xi does visit North Korea, it would serve as a reciprocal visit to Kim’s attendance of the celebrations of the 80th anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in WWII in September 2025. 2026 also marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the China-North Korea Treaty of Friendship Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, so this visit could function as a symbolic event highlighting the friendship between the two countries. During his visit to North Korea last month, Wang told North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui that, over the past year, exchanges between the two countries demonstrated that the “traditional friendship forged in blood between the two sides will never fade and is unbreakable,” and emphasized cooperation between high-level officials.For Xi, following up his summit with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in January and summits with the US and Russia in May with a successful North Korea-China summit would firmly establish China’s diplomatic leadership on the Korean Peninsula. Should Xi and Kim meet, their agenda could include not only bilateral relations, but also dialogue between North Korea and the US, as well as North Korea’s nuclear program. Following their summit in Beijing on May 14-15, Xi and Trump both “agreed that the goal on the Korean Peninsula remains denuclearization.” Trump is said to have discussed the issue of North Korea with the Chinese leader. The South Korean government is watching closely to see whether the visit could open the door to a breakthrough in strained inter-Korean relations. While the Lee administration is making concerted efforts to thaw relations between the two Koreas, North Korea has kept its doors firmly shut, formally redefining inter-Korean relations in its amended constitution as ties between two separate states. That being said, North Korea did send its Naegohyang Women’s FC to South Korea on Sunday to compete in the AFC Women’s Champions League. Some experts suggest that Xi could act as a channel for communication with a shut-off North Korea.“Xi will be able to act as the messenger who relays messages that either Lee or Trump wishes to convey to North Korea,” Moon Il-hyun, a professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, told the Hankyoreh. On Xi’s potential visit to North Korea, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said on Thursday that it remains to be seen, noting that China has yet to make any formal announcement.“Now is the time for us to solemnly consider the stability, peace and mutual prosperity of the Korean Peninsula amid major shifts in the political landscape of Northeast Asia,” he said. When asked if he believed that Xi would discuss North Korea-US dialogue during a possible visit to the North, Chung said, “Of course that will be a point of discussion. A huge tectonic plate is in motion.” One government official who asked not to be identified voiced cautious optimism. “We remain cautious, but small signs like the North Korean women’s soccer team coming down to South Korea are fueling hopes of a possible shift in circumstances,” they said. Cho Han-bum, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, suggested the visit could reflect China’s effort to expand its role in inter-Korean relations as US attention shifts elsewhere.“As the US becomes less interested in the Korean Peninsula due to its preoccupation with other matters such as the Iran war, this North Korea visit seems to be one aimed at strengthening China’s influence on inter-Korean relations,” he said. “As Lee and Xi are on amicable terms and North Korea has also sent a women’s soccer team to South Korea, there is the possibility that China can help initiate a thaw in inter-Korean relations,” he predicted. By Seo Young-ji, staff reporter; Jang Ye-ji, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]