North Korea's Kim Jong Un hosts Chinese President Xi Jinping, weeks after hosting Russia's Putin

North Korea's Kim Jong Un on Monday (local time) offered a grand welcome to Chinese President Xi Jinping. However, the North Korean leader is welcoming his guest from a position of considerable confidence, with the country having changed significantly since Xi Jinping's last trip seven years ago.

NBC News reported that Kim's backing of Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has paid dividends; his weapons programme has strengthened the country's status as a de facto nuclear state, and an economy that was weakened by years of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and sanctions has regained momentum in recent years.

Kim was joined by his wife, Ri Sol Ju, as Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, stepped off their plane in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Xi-Kim express hope for greater ties

The two leaders also underscored their commitment to deepening cooperation at a closely watched summit. Xi arrived at Pyongyang's main square, where a military honour guard and thousands of people, including children carrying balloons and hopping, staged a welcoming ceremony. Buildings surrounding the plaza were draped in the two countries' flags, giant portraits of Kim and Xi, and red-and-yellow banners welcoming the Chinese leader and celebrating the nations' "friendship and unity," AP reported.

At the summit, Xi expressed Beijing's willingness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas, including trade, agriculture, construction, and technology, China's state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report. Xi further said the two sides should strengthen strategic cooperation and firmly safeguard their respective sovereignty and security interests, according to the report.

The Chinese leader said the friendship between the two countries is "unbreakable." Kim said Xi's visit "clearly demonstrates how unbreakable" the two countries' relationship is, CCTV said. For its part, North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun called the visit a demonstration of the "invincibility" of their relationship.

Xi's visit came after Kim displayed his newfound status by hosting top officials from Russia, Belarus, Singapore, and Vietnam. However, according to an NBC News report, he's not the only one who might be feeling good about his position. Earlier in May, Kim's Chinese counterpart had a stellar guest list, including landmark visits by US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he seeks to project China as a stable global power amid the turmoil stoked by the US-Israeli war with Iran.

China irked over North Korea-Russia ties?

China has long been North Korea's economic lifeline and main diplomatic backer. Citing experts, AP reported that Beijing has avoided fully enforcing UN sanctions on Pyongyang and sent clandestine aid to help its impoverished neighbour stay afloat. This year marks 65 years since the two countries signed a mutual defence treaty.

However, there have been questions about their ties in recent years, with North Korea prioritizing cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and weapons to support its war against Ukraine. In return, North Korea has received economic and military assistance from Russia.

Restoring exclusive influence over North Korea would give Xi leverage in dealings with Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to restart diplomacy with Kim, experts say.

China-North Korea relations

Bilateral trade volume between China and North Korea recovered to pre-pandemic levels in 2025. Earlier this year, the two sides also resumed direct flights and passenger train services, which had been stalled since the pandemic. Xi said on Monday that both nations should use the reopening of flight and train services as an opportunity to expand people-to-people exchanges.

However, it remains to be seen what the outcome of the meeting between the two sides will be.