Xi's N. Korea visit raises speculation of economic cooperation

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for his first visit to North Korea in nearly seven years, with analysts closely watching whether the summit will pave the way for greater China-North Korea economic cooperation.

Xi's two-day state visit, reported by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, comes amid growing expectations that Beijing and Pyongyang could move beyond restoring trade. Areas of potential broader cooperation include border development, infrastructure construction and tourism, as well as strategic coordination on regional affairs.

Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the likely summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Xi could produce unusually significant economic outcomes.

"There are signs that this summit could yield what might be called a landmark agreement," Lim said. "China may be shifting its focus, at least for a considerable period, from denuclearization to how it can strategically utilize a nuclear-armed North Korea in its broader competition with the United States."

Hong Min, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said recent rhetoric from both sides suggests Beijing and Pyongyang may be contemplating a higher level of economic integration than in the past.

"The language suggests an intention to move beyond simply expanding trade and toward institutionally linking North Korea's national development plans with China's five-year plans and broader modernization strategy," Hong said.

"It could be signaling China-North Korea economic cooperation that operates in sanctions gray zones or even approaches the threshold of existing sanctions."

According to Hong, such cooperation could extend beyond previously discussed projects, potentially encompassing the Sinuiju-Dandong economic corridor, the full opening of the New Yalu River Bridge and related customs facilities, and expanded development of the special economic zones in Rason and Hwanggumpyong.

Xi arrived in the North Korean capital at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, accompanied by first lady Peng Liyuan, Chinese Communist Party official Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi, according Xinhua.

Ahead of his arrival, Pyongyang was decorated with Chinese and North Korean flags, portraits of Xi and banners celebrating the countries' traditional friendship, while Chinese media showed reporters traveling to North Korea aboard a cross-border train service that resumed earlier this year after years of disruption.

Xi's visit follows a series of recent diplomatic engagements, including summits with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing last month. It also comes as North Korea has moved closer to Moscow, with North Korean troops participating in Russia's Victory Day parade for the first time in May.

Pyongyang appeared to be in full welcoming mode ahead of Xi's arrival, with Chinese and North Korean flags fluttering along major thoroughfares and banners celebrating the countries' long-standing friendship draped across the capital, Chinese media reports showed.

Meanwhile, in a front-page article published Monday in Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Xi called for deeper strategic coordination between Beijing and Pyongyang and declared that bilateral relations were entering a new phase.

"Relations between the two countries stand at a new historical starting point, facing new development opportunities and shouldering new missions of the times," Xi wrote.

He urged the two sides to "deepen strategic communication and firmly steer China-DPRK relations in the right direction," while maintaining high-level exchanges and "close contacts like relatives," referring to North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Recalling his previous meetings with Kim, Xi said the relationship would remain "unwavering" regardless of changes in international circumstances.

"China stands ready to work with the DPRK to steer bilateral relations from a strategic perspective, keep China-DPRK relations abreast of the times and achieve greater development of the relationship," he wrote.

Xi also called for joint efforts to uphold "the international system with the United Nations at its core and the international order based on international law," and to "jointly promote an equal and orderly multipolarization of the world and a universally beneficial and inclusive economic globalization."

The article has drawn attention not only for what it said, but also for what it omitted.

Hong at KINU noted that unlike Xi's article published before his 2019 visit, this year's piece contains no references to denuclearization, US-North Korea dialogue or negotiations on the Korean Peninsula.

"The 2019 article was heavily focused on the Korean Peninsula issue, denuclearization and dialogue between North Korea and the US," Hong said.

"By contrast, Xi's 2026 article contains no references whatsoever to 'the Korean Peninsula issue,' 'denuclearization,' 'dialogue,' 'negotiations' or 'North Korea-US relations.'"

Instead, he said, Xi emphasized concepts such as "strategic coordination," a "community with a shared future," "opposition to hegemony" and defending the international order.

"This signals that China's North Korea policy has shifted fundamentally over the past seven years — from acting as a mediator in denuclearization diplomacy to strengthening a strategic partnership aimed at managing long-term competition with the US," Hong said.

The shift comes as Pyongyang has made clear that it has no intention of discussing denuclearization.

On Sunday, Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of Kim Jong-un, declared that North Korea's status as a nuclear weapons state is "the line of no retreat" and dismissed renewed calls for denuclearization.

The timing has fueled speculation that North Korea is seeking to define the boundaries of the summit before discussions begin.

South Korea's Unification Ministry, however, urged caution in interpreting the significance of the rhetoric.

"We believe there is a strong element of creating a favorable atmosphere for the summit by emphasizing the traditional friendship and cooperative relationship between North Korea and China ahead of the leaders' meeting," ministry spokesperson Yoon Min-ho said Monday.

Asked whether Beijing could move toward recognizing North Korea as a nuclear weapons state, Yoon declined to speculate.

"As the North Korea-China summit is beginning today, we will refrain from making any premature judgments and instead closely watch the results," he said.

The summit will also be closely watched for signs of how Beijing intends to balance its ties with both Pyongyang and Moscow. While Russia and North Korea have expanded military cooperation since signing a mutual defense treaty in 2024, analysts say Xi's visit provides an opportunity for China to reassert its influence over a neighbor that has increasingly looked to Moscow for diplomatic, economic and security support.