China's Xi holds talks with North Korea's Kim Jong Un in Beijing

Foster Wong, Bloomberg News on Sep 4, 2025

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Chinese President Xi Jinping told North Korean leader Kim Jong Un Beijing is committed to strengthening ties with Pyongyang, reaffirming the long-standing relationship between the two countries in their first bilateral meeting in six years.

Xi said China is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication with North Korea, while both countries should enhance strategic coordination in international and regional affairs to safeguard their common interests, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency.

The Chinese leader reiterated that Beijing maintains an objective and fair position on the issue of the Korean Peninsula and is willing to continue coordinating with North Korea to safeguard peace and stability on the peninsula, the report added.

The meeting came after Xi hosted both Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing for a vast military parade this week. Prior to this week, Kim and Xi hadn’t met in person since June 2019, when the Chinese leader visited Pyongyang and called for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Before that, Kim traveled to Beijing four times in 10 months as he sought China’s support in resetting ties with the U.S. and South Korea.

Beijing has been North Korea’s main backer for years, providing a lifeline that kept the latter’s economy afloat as the U.S. and many of its allies maintain sanctions on the reclusive country.

Kim’s visit aims at rebuilding ties with China, helping his country gain economic and diplomatic support from Beijing before a potential restart of U.S. talks, and hedge risks by easing his reliance on Russia as the war in Ukraine nears a possible conclusion, according to Lee Seong-kweun, a member of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence committee.