BEIJING: Is Chinese President Xi Jinping set to make a state visit to North Korea soon? This prospect has surfaced in recent days, following media reports and sightings of a Chinese delegation in Pyongyang, and attracted international scrutiny over its timing.First, the trip could be the Chinese supremo’s first publicly confirmed overseas trip of 2026, therefore giving the choice of destination added significance.It will also come shortly after Xi’s recent meetings with both United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, both of which thrust Pyongyang back in the diplomatic frame in different ways.Third, such a trip would come shortly after Kim visited China only last September to attend a military parade that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, during which he met with Xi.
Xi himself last visited North Korea in 2019, where he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and received full military honours, underscoring the political importance Pyongyang attached to the visit.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a mass gymnastic performance at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jun 20, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua via AP/Yan Yan)
