By Simone McCarthy and Yoonjung Seo, CNN
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese president, holds talks with Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), at the Kumsusan State Guesthouse in Pyongyang, the DPRK, 8 June, 2026.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for deepening "strategic coordination and cooperation" with North Korea shortly after receiving a pomp-filled welcome to mark his first visit to the secluded nation in seven years.
The two sides should inject "powerful momentum" into their ties, Xi said during a meeting Monday with Kim as he kicked off his two-day state visit, according to a readout released by Chinese state media Xinhua.
China was ready to expand cooperation in areas like economics and trade, agriculture, health, construction, science and technology, he added.
