China's Xi Jinping visits North Korea: Beijing reasserts itself amid warming Russia-North Korea ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Friday (June 5) for his first foreign trip this year, aiming to bolster relations with nuclear-armed North Korea, which opposes U.S. military expansion in the Asia-Pacific region.

During the two-day visit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said: “The two sides will take the visit as an opportunity to further promote the development of China-North Korea relations in a direction that suits the times.” It is Xi’s first visit to North Korea in seven years, occurring amid increasingly tight ties between Pyongyang and Moscow.

China-North Korea ties rooted in war

The relationship between the two countries dates back to the Korean War more than 70 years ago. In the early 1950s, China helped North Korea fight against South Korean forces backed by the U.S. and the United Nations. An estimated 200,000 to 400,000 Chinese soldiers were killed. In 1961, Beijing and Pyongyang signed the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, under which China is obligated to intervene militarily if North Korea is attacked.

However, ties have at times been strained due to China's consistent opposition to North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Beijing called North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006 a “flagrant and arbitrary” act. By 2009, when the UN adopted sanctions against Pyongyang's nuclear program, then-Chinese ambassador Zhang Yesui said Beijing supported the sanctions resolution because North Korea's actions were “defying the common goals of the international community.”

Since 2018, China has worked to mend relations with North Korea. That March, Xi invited North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to China for talks. Xi affirmed China's desire to protect the Korean Peninsula and seek a denuclearization solution. For his part, Kim pledged to “denuclearize” the peninsula. Just months later, then-U.S. President Donald Trump met Kim in Singapore with a similar focus.

In 2021, the two countries renewed the 1961 defense treaty for another 20 years. Last September, Kim visited China to attend a military parade, traveling in his signature green armored train.

Geopolitical role and Russia counterbalance

Analysts say China is wary of the developing relationship between North Korea and Russia. North Korean troops have fought alongside Russia after Moscow and Pyongyang signed a joint defense treaty amid the Ukraine war. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Pyongyang in 2024 after a 24-year hiatus to promote defense cooperation.

Alejandro Reyes, a visiting lecturer at the University of Hong Kong's Department of Politics and Public Administration, told Al Jazeera: “One of the most significant geopolitical shifts in recent years is the deepening Russia-North Korea relationship. Kim Jong-un now has more room to maneuver internationally than a decade ago. Xi's visit is partly a reminder that while Russia may be an increasingly important partner, China remains North Korea's indispensable neighbor.”

However, Reyes cautioned against exaggerating Beijing's anxiety: “Russia may expand North Korea's options, but it cannot replace China's geographic, economic, and political importance.”

North Korea's economic dependence on China

North Korea is one of the world's poorest and most isolated countries. According to an August 2025 report by the Bank of Korea, North Korea's GDP in 2024 reached $26.6 billion, up 3.7% from the previous year. In comparison, South Korea's GDP that year was about $1.88 trillion.

North Korea is largely cut off from global trade due to UN sanctions related to its nuclear program. According to the National Committee on North Korea, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, China “accounts for up to 95%” of North Korea's trade. Chinese exports to North Korea include oil, food, textiles, machinery, and transport vehicles. North Korea exports to China cosmetic products such as false eyelashes and wigs, iron and steel, frozen fish, and some food items. Two-way trade reached $2.74 billion, according to Chinese customs data.

Many North Korean workers go to China for jobs in fishing and construction. Human rights groups say some face exploitation. China is also investing in infrastructure and transportation projects with North Korea, including launching a sea transport route and a high-speed railway in 2015.

Dylan Loh, an associate professor of public policy and global affairs at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said: “North Korea has long depended on China as its economic lifeline. Beyond trade, Pyongyang gains international legitimacy and protection from its relationship with China. Essentially, China is North Korea's security guarantor.”

For his part, Reyes noted that for Kim, maintaining good relations with Beijing is a matter of regime security: “Russia cannot replace China economically. Moscow can provide weapons technology, energy, and diplomatic support. Beijing provides the economic lifeline, geographic proximity, and long-term strategic stability.”

What China needs from North Korea

According to a November 2024 report by the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, China needs North Korea primarily to maintain stability on the peninsula. “Xi's North Korea policy focuses on preventing the collapse of Kim's regime and avoiding an unwanted war in the region that would undermine China's security interests.”

Loh said North Korea also serves as a crucial buffer against U.S. troops stationed in South Korea—about 28,500 soldiers under the mutual defense treaty between Washington and Seoul. “With North Korea's nuclear ambitions, Beijing also wants to ensure its interests and the safety of its citizens near the North Korean border are not threatened.”

Alicia Garcia Herrero, chief economist for the Asia-Pacific region at French investment bank Natixis, shared a similar view: “China needs North Korea as a strategic buffer, not an ally. It keeps U.S. troops away from China's border and prevents a chaotic collapse that could send millions of refugees into China, while also giving Washington more influence in Asia.”

Reasserting control

Herrero emphasized Xi's visit is purely about tactical power politics: “China is reasserting control as North Korea leans toward Russia. Beijing wants to keep its gatekeeper role if Trump tries to broker a deal with Kim. Xi rarely leaves China. This trip shows Beijing is locking down its northeastern flank amid mounting pressure from the U.S. and Russia.”

Reyes said there are also signs that regional diplomatic channels are being tested, prompting China to improve ties with North Korea: “Recent speculation about Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visiting Pyongyang has sparked discussion on whether regional players are quietly assessing North Korea's openness to future engagements. Singapore has a special position thanks to hosting the 2018 Trump-Kim summit and its ability to maintain effective ties with Washington, Beijing, and Pyongyang.”

However, Reyes added that the U.S. already has direct communication channels to North Korea, and there is little evidence Pyongyang is actively seeking a major diplomatic breakthrough with Washington at this time. The U.S.-Israel war with Iran could also reinforce Kim's priority of maintaining existing channels while avoiding becoming a U.S. strategic focus.

“Xi's visit, therefore, is not just about Russia or bilateral relations. It is about positioning China in a regional environment where North Korea is more confident, more connected to Moscow, more assured of the value of nuclear deterrence, and perhaps entering a new phase of strategic calculation,” he concluded.