China's Xi lands in North Korea for rare visit
People watch a TV screen showing a file image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
China's President Xi Jinping hailed an "invincible friendship" with Pyongyang on arrival in North Korea Monday, his first trip abroad this year after hosting back-to-back summits in Beijing.
China, Washington's chief geopolitical rival, has been North Korea's main trading partner by far for decades and a key source of diplomatic and economic support for a country hit by multiple international sanctions.
Military officers lined a red carpet as an Air China plane carrying Xi arrived for his first visit since 2019, video from Xinhua showed.
