Xi Visits Pyongyang to Deepen China-North Korea Alliance
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- Xi Jinping traveled to Pyongyang for what the Associated Press described as a 'rare visit,' meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 9, 2026
- The two leaders 'underscored their commitment to deepen co-operation and rebuild their complicated traditional alliance,' according to the AP report
- The visit was characterized as a 'likely attempt to reassert Beijing's unique influence' over North Korea, which the report described as China's 'socialist neighbour'
- The report was filed by The Associated Press and distributed as a 1:05 video package on The Globe and Mail's site
Why it matters: The AP's choice of the word 'rare' signals that the China–North Korea relationship — long described as 'complicated' — is being actively elevated by Beijing. By sending Xi personally to Pyongyang, China is publicly reasserting its position as the Kim regime's primary patron and strategic partner at a moment of shifting great-power alignments on the Korean Peninsula and beyond.
