Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) arrived in Pyongyang Monday for his first visit since 2019. This image shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visiting Xi in Beijing in June 2018. File Photo by KCNA/UPI | License Photo
SEOUL, June 8 (UPI) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea on Monday for a two-day state visit, his first trip to the isolated country in seven years, as Beijing and Pyongyang recalibrate ties amid a shifting geopolitical landscape.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un welcomed Xi and Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan at Pyongyang International Airport before hosting a lavish state reception that included a 21-gun salute, military honors and a mass rally at Kim Il Sung Square, according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Thousands of North Koreans lined the streets of Pyongyang waving flags, flowers and balloons as Xi traveled from the airport to the city center and later to the Kumsusan State Guesthouse, where he is staying during the visit.
China has long been North Korea's largest trading partner, and international observers say it continues to help Pyongyang skirt punishing economic sanctions.
