Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit North Korea next week, a significant move in the restoration of ties between the two nations.
The Chinese President is set to make a state visit to North Korea on June 8-9 at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Friday, citing the International Department of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee.
This marks Xi's second visit to North Korea; his first was in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the closure of borders between the two countries.
The visit is viewed as an effort to improve relations between China and North Korea after tensions over the pandemic, denuclearization, and Pyongyang's closer military ties with Russia.
Kim attended a military parade in Beijing last September marking the 80th anniversary of World War II's end, his first major multilateral event alongside Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
