Xi Pledges 'Stable' China-DPRK Ties to Kim
Get the Geopolitics newsletter
Daily geopolitics — wars, elections, sanctions, the diplomatic moves that move markets. Free.
- Xi Jinping told Kim Jong Un in a July 1 message, reported by KCNA on July 5, that he is ready to guide China-DPRK relations toward 'long-term, sound and stable' development.
- The exchange was triggered by Kim's congratulatory letter marking the 105th anniversary of China's Communist Party; Xi said the message reflected 'deep and warm feelings' of Kim, the Workers' Party, and the North Korean people.
- Xi referenced his rare June visit to Pyongyang, where the two leaders pledged to deepen ties amid rising Korean peninsula tensions and Pyongyang's expanding military cooperation with Russia.
- Kim called their June summit a 'historic occasion' and said North Korea would continue strengthening ties with Beijing.
- China accounts for nearly 98% of North Korea's foreign trade in 2024, according to South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance.
- North Korea has sent soldiers and munitions to Russia to assist Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, deepening a security axis separate from but parallel to its Beijing partnership.
Why it matters: Xi is publicly reaffirming the China-DPRK axis weeks after his June summit, even as North Korea deepens military cooperation with Moscow by sending troops and munitions for the Ukraine war. With China representing nearly 98% of North Korea's foreign trade, Beijing's endorsement carries material weight behind Pyongyang's strategic alignment.
