Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un Pledge to Boost Cooperation at Pyongyang Summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have pledged to enhance bilateral cooperation, according to state media, during Xi's rare visit to Pyongyang.

At the summit late Monday, Xi told Kim he looked forward to advancing ties, and both leaders agreed to work toward closer strategic cooperation, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday.

For his part, Kim affirmed that North Korea and China would maintain friendship as a "top priority strategic task," according to KCNA.

Kim called Xi the "greatest state guest," saying Xi's choice of North Korea as his first overseas destination this year was the "most encouraging support" for the country, KCNA reported.

Kim also reiterated Pyongyang's support for Beijing's "One China principle," referring to China's official stance that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory. Kim and Xi also discussed international and regional issues and reached broad agreement on strengthening strategic coordination to protect common interests, KCNA said.

China's state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday that Xi expressed readiness to expand cooperation in various fields, including trade, agriculture, construction, and technology.

Xi said the two nations should strengthen strategic cooperation and resolutely protect their respective sovereignty and security interests, according to the report.

'New historical starting point'

This marks Xi's first visit to North Korea in seven years. Xi and Kim most recently met in Beijing in September after attending a military parade with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders.

Kim greeted Xi with a red carpet, an honor guard, and a 21-gun salute. The two leaders, along with their spouses and senior officials, attended a performance of Chinese and North Korean songs before Kim hosted a banquet for the Chinese delegation.

Xi marked the 65th anniversary of the friendship treaty between the two nations by declaring ties had reached "a new historical starting point," according to KCNA.

It remains unclear whether the leaders plan further talks on Tuesday, with South Korean media suggesting Xi may visit the China-North Korea Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, which commemorates Chinese soldiers who died in the 1950-53 Korean War.

Both sides often describe their relationship as forged in blood, referring to China's intervention in the Korean War. But mistrust has strained ties in recent years, particularly after China supported international sanctions on North Korea's nuclear program.

"China is trying to reassert its influence over a key strategic partner that increasingly turns to Russia for oil and aid in exchange for North Korean soldiers and weapons [in the Ukraine war]," Al Jazeera's Jack Barton, reporting from Seoul, said.

Kim is eager to keep China close even as ties with Russia warm, he said.

"Kim certainly knows that Russia's leverage could dry up if and when the Ukraine war ends because Russia will no longer need North Korean troops or weapons," Barton added. "North Korea's existence depends on China."

Experts suggested Xi would use China's position as North Korea's dominant trade partner to keep Pyongyang in its orbit.

"The North Korean military-industrial complex is currently more aligned with Russia than with China," one analyst told Al Jazeera, describing the visit as Xi's attempt "to remind the North Koreans who their main trade partner is."

Young added that Xi might also use the trip to expand Chinese tourism to North Korea, as part of so-called "red tourism" based on fostering revolutionary nostalgia associated with the Korean War era.

Nuclear tensions

Separately, North Korean media did not mention whether Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program or relations with the U.S. were part of the talks between Xi and Kim.

Before Xi's arrival, Kim announced plans to ramp up nuclear production capacity exponentially. North Korea's weapons program has spurred closer defense ties among the U.S., Japan, and South Korea, which Beijing opposes.

Al Jazeera's Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, noted the notable absence of denuclearization from the agenda. She said state media reports in Beijing and Pyongyang indicated the two leaders were sending a clear message that their relationship was stronger than ever.

"North Korea is also a priority for Xi, as he has hosted dozens of world leaders this year, including Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. But this is the first time he has actually left China to meet another leader. Both sides also spoke about deeper cooperation. One specific line from Chinese state media said it all, saying China would help North Korea move toward modernization," she said.

"China is really using a carrot rather than a stick approach, moving closer to Pyongyang and stressing the warming of ties at a time of escalating competition with the U.S."