China's Xi hails 'new start' in North Korea ties ahead of summit

SEOUL/BEIJING: Ties between China and North Korea are at a “new historical starting point”, President Xi Jinping said on Monday in a comment published in the neighbour’s state media before his arrival in Pyongyang for a rare summit with leader Kim Jong Un.

China’s unwavering policy is to develop ties with the North and both will strengthen exchanges in all areas, Xi said in the Rodong Sinmun newspaper ahead of a visit seen as significant because it is his first international trip this year.

“We must oppose hegemony, authoritarianism and all attempts and conspiracies to revive militarism that endanger regional security and stability,” Xi added in Beijing’s effort to draw Pyongyang closer.

Xi is expected to hold talks with Kim on the two-day visit, his first in seven years to China’s reclusive neighbour at a time when its economy, strengthened by growing trade and military ties to Russia, could boost Kim’s confidence in talks.

“His visit is about keeping the tradition alive in very different conditions than his last trip,” John Delury, a senior fellow of the Asia Society, said in a post on X.

Xi’s commentary celebrates the “traditional friendship” between Beijing and Pyongyang, and emphasised strategic cooperation and socialism throughout, Delury added.

North Korea reaffirms nuclear status a day before Chinese president’s visit

Xi also pledged to work with North Korea to promote fair and orderly multilateralism and inclusive economic globalisation to benefit the world, adding that long-term regional peace and stability were the common pursuit of both nations.

Flags line Pyongyang avenues

Flags of both countries lined the main avenues of the North Korean capital in a short video released by the Xinhua official news agency, which added that welcome banners for Xi draped landmark buildings.

Xi flew out of the Chinese capital on a special plane on Monday, Xinhua said, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, his de facto chief of staff Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

With China’s Xi in North Korea, Kim to project confidence, defiance

Xi hosted Kim and other leaders last year at a massive military parade in Beijing, where he stood with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Since then Pyongyang has resumed crossings at the Chinese border and stepped up exchanges frozen during the COVID-19 pandemic, while Air China restored flights between the capitals in March.

On the eve of Xi’s arrival, Pyongyang sought to flex its strength by unveiling plans for a 10,000-ton naval destroyer and reaffirming its status as a nuclear-armed state.