Their motorcade then weaved through streets lined with Chinese and North Korean flags to Pyongyang\u2019s main square, where Kim threw a grand welcome ceremony \u2014 a 21-gun salute, a military band, and children waving flags and balloons, according to official videos released by Xinhua.<\/p>\n
Beyond the pomp and pageantry being lavished on Xi, the North Korean leader is displaying a confidence that his nuclear-armed regime has rarely been able to show in dealing with China \u2014 Pyongyang\u2019s longtime economic lifeline and main diplomatic backer. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe key is that Kim Jong Un can receive Xi Jinping from a position of strength. Otherwise, the North Koreans wouldn\u2019t want China visiting when they\u2019re feeling weak,\u201d John Delury, a visiting research fellow at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, told NBC News. <\/p>\n
The trip coincides with the 65th anniversary of the mutual defense treaty the two countries signed in 1961 \u2014 the only such treaty Beijing has ever agreed to \u2014 and builds upon their last meeting in September when Kim visited Beijing. <\/p>\n FOR<\/span>SUBSCRIBERS<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n 01:29<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n China and North Korea\u2019s friendship is \u201cunbreakable,\u201d Xi said Monday. At a summit in Pyongyang, Xi expressed China\u2019s willingness to expand cooperation in a range of areas including trade, agriculture, construction and technology, China\u2019s state broadcaster CCTV said in an online report.<\/p>\n Kim said Xi\u2019s visit \u201cclearly demonstrates how unbreakable\u201d the two countries\u2019 relationship is, CCTV said. <\/strong>For its part, North Korean newspaper Rodong Sinmun <\/a>called the visit a demonstration of the \u201cinvincibility\u201d of their relationship. <\/p>\n The visit comes after Kim displayed his newfound status by hosting top officials from Russia, Belarus, Singapore and Vietnam. But he\u2019s not the only one who might be feeling good about his position.<\/p>\n Xi had an even more stellar guest list in May, including landmark visits by President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he seeks to project China as a stable global power amid the <\/strong>turmoil stoked by the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cYou have to fit into the bigger pattern, which is ultimately a more Sino-centric world order, or at least Beijing being one of the major centers of world order,\u201d Delury said. <\/p>\n The projection of stability may also explain why Xi has headed to Pyongyang, whose accelerating nuclear program and growing closeness with Moscow have irked Beijing. <\/p>\n Kim is estimated to have sent as many as 14,000 troops to fight alongside the Russian military and, in exchange, has received not only valuable battlefield experience, but also help with his economy and military technology.<\/p>\n \u201cAs North Korea builds closer ties with Russia, China seeks to use Xi\u2019s trip to reassert its influence over Pyongyang,\u201d said William Yang, senior north east analyst at the International Crisis Group.<\/p>\n Kim has overseen an economy that has recovered from the depths of pandemic-era isolation and crippling international sanctions, buoyed by a rebound in tourism that comes mostly from China and Russia. That includes the resumption of flights and trains with China <\/a>earlier this year.<\/p>\n Kim has moved quickly to capitalize, pouring investment into modernizing his capital and inaugurating one tourist <\/strong>resort after another. <\/p>\n But Xi can still wield unique economic assistance and diplomatic support in Kim\u2019s pursuit of international legitimacy and recognition as a nuclear state. Trump has repeatedly stated his desire to restart nuclear talks with North Korea, but Kim has shown little sign of compromise.<\/p>\n He visited a munitions producing facility a day before Xi\u2019s arrival and a nuclear material facility a week earlier<\/a>, sending \u201cthe message loud and clear that the nuclear deterrent isn\u2019t going anywhere,\u201d Delury said. <\/p>\n It\u2019s unlikely Xi will be pressing Kim to downsize his nuclear arsenal, Delury said, given China would not risk pushing Kim even closer to Putin.<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/rockcms\/2026-01\/asterisk-43f04b.svg\")
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<\/p>\nXi hosts Putin in Beijing days after Trump<\/h2>\n
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