Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week, both countries announced Friday, marking his first visit to the isolated nation in nearly seven years.
The trip is the latest sign of Beijing's efforts to strengthen ties with its nuclear-armed neighbor at a time when North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has deepened relations with Russia, including by sending troops and conventional weapons to support Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Pyongyang has also moved to rebuild closer ties with China, its largest trading partner and a key source of economic assistance, over the past year.
"As North Korea builds closer ties with Russia, China seeks to use Xi's trip to reassert its influence over Pyongyang and safeguard its strategic interests in Northeast Asia," said William Yang, an analyst at the International Crisis Group.
State media in both countries said Xi will make a state visit Monday and Tuesday. His previous trip to North Korea was in June 2019.
