Story perspectives

Xi visits North Korea, sees uranium plant, destroyer.

6/8/2026

Center

Xi Visits North Korea

North Korea unveiled a new uranium enrichment facility and a 10,000-ton naval destroyer as Xi arrived.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on June 8, 2026 for a two-day summit with Kim Jong Un.
China pledged continued support for Kim’s leadership, sovereignty, security and development interests, reaffirming its influence.
The visit followed Xi’s recent meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Left

China backs Kim

Human-rights groups say many North Korean workers sent to Chinese fisheries and construction sites face exploitation, highlighting trade concerns.
President Xi Jinping told North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang that China will keep supporting his leadership and sovereignty.
China supplies 95 % of North Korea’s trade, worth $2.74 billion in food, textiles and machinery.
Beijing wants to avoid a regime collapse that could trigger refugee flows from the North.

History

Historical Context

After WWII the Korean Peninsula split, with North Korea aligning with the Soviet Union and China. On 11 July 1961 China and North Korea signed a defense treaty in Beijing, later ratified in August and September, becoming China’s only mutual-defence pact after the Soviet-North Korean treaty lapsed in 1991. Xi Jinping’s 8 June 2026 visit to Pyongyang reaffirmed that historic alliance.

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Xi Visits North Korea

North Korea unveiled a new uranium enrichment facility and a 10,000-ton naval destroyer as Xi arrived.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on June 8, 2026 for a two-day summit with Kim Jong Un.
China pledged continued support for Kim’s leadership, sovereignty, security and development interests, reaffirming its influence.
The visit followed Xi’s recent meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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