Chinese leader Xi Jinping is set to travel to North Korea, both countries announced, marking his first visit to the isolated nation in nearly seven years.
Xi will undertake a state visit to North Korea from Monday to Tuesday, local time, according to brief announcements from state media in both countries.
The trip will be his first visit to the country since June 2019.
Xi’s visit marks China’s latest move to strengthen ties with its nuclear-armed neighbour. The trip comes as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has deepened relations with Russia recently, including by providing troops and conventional weapons to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
“As North Korea builds closer ties with Russia, China seeks to use Xi’s trip to reassert its influence over Pyongyang and safeguard its strategic interests in northeast Asia,” International Crisis Group analyst William Yang said.
The visit was announced just one day after North Korea revealed a new facility involved in producing material for nuclear weapons.
South Korea’s military has assessed the site as a uranium enrichment plant, raising fresh concerns about Pyongyang’s expanded nuclear programme.
Kim has prioritised the expansion of North Korea’s nuclear arsenal since his high-profile diplomatic efforts with the U.S. President Donald Trump broke down in 2019 without reaching an agreement.
Trump has repeatedly signalled his willingness to revive diplomatic engagement with Kim. However, the North Korean leader has insisted that the United States must abandon its demand for North Korea’s denuclearisation as a precondition for any future negotiations.