Wang Yi to Visit North Korea April 9‑10, China Says
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- Wang Yi will travel to North Korea on April 9‑10, as announced by China's foreign ministry on April 8, 2026.
- Mao Ning said China is willing to strengthen strategic communication with North Korea and enhance exchanges and cooperation, calling the visit “an important move to advance bilateral ties.”
- Beijing resumed passenger train service to Pyongyang in March, ending a six‑year suspension that began in 2020.
- Air China restarted flights between Beijing and Pyongyang after the pandemic‑related suspension.
- Kim Jong Un travelled to Beijing in September on an armored train, meeting President Xi Jinping and attending a military parade with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Li Qiang visited Pyongyang in October, following Kim Jong Un’s September trip, as part of China’s effort to revive ties.
- Mao Ning said preserving, consolidating, and developing China‑DPRK relations has always been an unwavering strategic policy of the Chinese party and government.
Why it matters: The visit gives China a chance to re‑assert its strategic influence over Pyongyang while offering North Korea renewed diplomatic legitimacy and access to revived transport links, shifting the regional balance after years of pandemic‑driven isolation. The move also underscores Beijing’s broader goal of consolidating its East Asian partnerships amid competing regional powers.
