{"id":941,"date":"2026-05-29T03:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T03:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asianewscast.com\/2026\/05\/29\/why-president-xis-potential-north-korea-visit-carries-strategic-weight-for-china-and-beyond\/"},"modified":"2026-05-29T03:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T03:32:17","slug":"why-president-xis-potential-north-korea-visit-carries-strategic-weight-for-china-and-beyond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=941","title":{"rendered":"Why President Xi\u2019s potential North Korea visit carries strategic weight for China and beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"layout layout--onecol\">\n<div class=\"layout__region layout__region--content\">\n<section data-title=\"Leaderboard  01 Article\" class=\"block block-ad-entity block-ad-displayleaderboard-01-article clearfix\">\n<div class=\"block-title\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div id=\"ad-entity-AH8ZiEnSCZU\" class=\"ad-entity-container 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data-ad-entity-type=\"Adobe_Ad_Entity\" data-ad-entity-view=\"mc_adobe_advertisement_provider_default\" data-ad-entity-variant=\"[&quot;tablet-ios&quot;]\" data-ad-entity-targeting=\"{&quot;entitytype&quot;:&quot;node\/article&quot;,&quot;entitylabel&quot;:&quot;Why President Xi\u2019s potential North Korea visit carries strategic weight for China and beyond&quot;,&quot;entityuuid&quot;:&quot;3b4826e4-11e2-417e-b921-10944888d31f&quot;}\">\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"layout layout--onecol\">\n<div class=\"layout__region layout__region--content\">\n<section data-title=\"Content Details\" class=\"block block-mc-content-detail block-content-details clearfix article-detail-title-block\">\n<div data-title=\"Content Details\" class=\"content-detail block block-mc-content-detail block-content-details clearfix article-detail-title-block\">\n<p class=\"content-detail__category\">\n  <span class=\"indicator__flag\"><br \/>\n    <b class=\"indicator__flag-text indicator__flag-text--large analysis\">analysis<\/b><br \/>\n  <\/span><br \/>\n<a class=\"link\" href=\"\/east-asia\"><br \/>\n      East Asia<br \/>\n  <\/a>\n    <\/p>\n<h1 class=\"h1 h1--page-title\">\n      Why President Xi\u2019s potential North Korea visit carries strategic weight for China and beyond<br \/>\n  <\/h1>\n<div class=\"content-detail__description\">\n<p>A potential state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pyongyang reportedly soon would mark his first overseas trip of the year and reinforce Beijing\u2019s influence as North Korea-Russia ties deepen amid global tensions, analysts say.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"layout layout--twocol-section layout--twocol-section--75-25\">\n<div class=\"layout__region layout__region--first\">\n<section data-title=\"Hero Emphasis\" class=\"block detail-hero-media block-mc-hero-emphasis block-hero-emphasis clearfix\">\n<figure data-title=\"Hero Emphasis\" class=\"figure block detail-hero-media block-mc-hero-emphasis block-hero-emphasis clearfix\" data-img-id=\"\">\n<p>      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--VEIEWWfY--\/c_crop,h_449,w_799,x_1,y_21\/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2024-04:reuters_1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/one-cms\/core\/2026-03-12T094407Z_3_LYNXMPEM2B02R_RTROPTP_3_CHINA-NORTHKOREA-TRAIN.JPG?itok=slJxROqA\" alt=\"Why President Xi\u2019s potential North Korea visit carries strategic weight for China and beyond\" title=\"Why President Xi\u2019s potential North Korea visit carries strategic weight for China and beyond\"><figcaption class=\"figure__caption\">\n      North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their bilateral summit in Beijing on Sep 4, 2025. (File photo: KCNA via REUTERS)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<section data-title=\"Text to speech\" class=\"block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodearticlefield-text-to-speech clearfix\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"mc-text-to-speech-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"new-feature-wizard\">\n    <span class=\"new-feature-wizard__text\"><br \/>\n        New: You can now listen to articles.<br \/>\n        <span class=\"new-feature-wizard__close\"><\/p>\n<p>      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/profiles\/custom\/mediacorp\/themes\/mc_core_theme\/images\/close.svg\"><\/p>\n<p>        <\/span><br \/>\n    <\/span>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"text-to-speech-caption\">\n       This audio is generated by an AI tool.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<div class=\"layout__region layout__region--second\">\n<section data-title=\"Byline\" class=\"block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodearticlefield-author clearfix\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"author-card author-card--author-info-block\">\n<div class=\"author-card__figure\">\n            <a href=\"\/author\/lee-gim-siong\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--ie6ZUfWF--\/c_crop,h_1000,w_1000,x_0,y_133\/c_fill,g_faces:auto,h_140,w_140\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2024\/10\/04\/lee_gim_siong_-_smile.jpg?itok=WoNx2tRQ\"><br \/>\n<\/a>\n                  <\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__content\">\n<div class=\"author-card__body\">\n<div class=\"author-card__author-name\">\n<h6 class=\"h6 h6--author-name\">\n<a class=\"h6__link\" href=\"\/author\/lee-gim-siong\"><br \/>\n      Lee Gim Siong<br \/>\n  <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section data-title=\"Content share and bookmark\" class=\"block block-mc-content-share-bookmark block-content-share-bookmark clearfix\">\n<div data-title=\"Content share and bookmark\" class=\"mobile_author_card block block-mc-content-share-bookmark block-content-share-bookmark clearfix\">\n<div class=\"mobile_author_card__image-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"mobile_author_card__image mobile_author_card__image--\">\n<a class=\"link\" href=\"\/author\/lee-gim-siong\"><\/p>\n<p>      <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--stvtcklc--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_100,w_100\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2024\/10\/04\/lee_gim_siong_-_smile.jpg?h=c53fb6b1&amp;itok=JsniaFGb\" alt=\"Lee Gim Siong\" title=\"Lee Gim Siong\"><\/p>\n<p>                <\/a>\n        <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"mobile_author_card__name\">\n<a class=\"link link--author-profile\" href=\"\/author\/lee-gim-siong\"><br \/>\n      Lee Gim Siong<br \/>\n  <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-publish article-publish--\">\n        28 May 2026 05:26PM<br \/>\n                        <span>(Updated: 28 May 2026 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Give it a try.<br \/>\n        <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"fast-tooltip__close-button\" role=\"button\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"fast-button__tooltip-fast-back-button\">\n<div class=\"fast-tooltip hidden\">\n<div class=\"fast-tooltip__body\">\n<div class=\"fast-tooltip__label\">\n              <span class=\"fast-tooltip__non-touch\"> Click here to return to FAST <\/span><br \/>\n        <span class=\"fast-tooltip__touch\"> Tap here to return to FAST <\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"fast-tooltip__close-button\" role=\"button\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>    <a title=\"FAST\" href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/fast\/6146566\" class=\"fast-button\"><br \/>\n               FAST <\/p>\n<p>    <\/a>\n  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<section data-title=\"Content\" class=\"block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodearticlefield-content clearfix\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"text-long\">\n<p>BEIJING: Is Chinese President Xi Jinping set to make a state visit to North Korea soon? This prospect has surfaced in recent days, following media reports and sightings of a Chinese delegation in Pyongyang, and attracted international scrutiny over its timing.<\/p>\n<p>First, the trip could be the Chinese supremo\u2019s first publicly confirmed overseas trip of 2026, therefore giving the choice of destination added significance.<\/p>\n<p>It will also come shortly after Xi\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/east-asia\/china-vladimir-putin-donald-trump-visits-xi-jinping-same-welcomes-different-stakes-6133576\">recent meetings<\/a> with both United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin this month, both of which thrust Pyongyang back in the diplomatic frame in different ways.<\/p>\n<p>Third, such a trip would come shortly after Kim <a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/asia\/kim-jong-un-china-special-train-5328016\">visited China only last September<\/a> to attend a military parade that marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, during which he met with Xi.<\/p>\n<div class=\"in-article-games trimmed-content\">\n<div class=\"game-list-header\">CNA Games<\/div>\n<div class=\"game-list\">\n              <a class=\"game-tile\" href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/games\/guess-word\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"game-img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Guess Word\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--9rksCQgs--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_100,w_100\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2025\/12\/03\/game_icon_-_wordrow_-_light_mode.png?itok=y_y6Lkrj\" alt=\"Guess Word\">\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"game-desc\">\n<div class=\"game-title\">Guess Word<\/div>\n<div class=\"game-abt\">Crack the word, one row at a time<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><br \/>\n              <a class=\"game-tile\" href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/games\/buzzword\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"game-img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Buzzword\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--rNELTwDG--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_100,w_100\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2025\/12\/03\/game_icon_-_buzzword_-_light_mode.png?itok=gjNCaVEc\" alt=\"Buzzword\">\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"game-desc\">\n<div class=\"game-title\">Buzzword<\/div>\n<div class=\"game-abt\">Create words using the given letters<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><br \/>\n              <a class=\"game-tile\" href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/games\/mini-sudoku\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"game-img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Mini Sudoku\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--cDNZgbXf--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_100,w_100\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2025\/12\/03\/game_icon_-_mini_sudoku_-_light_mode.png?itok=XJMtZA-S\" alt=\"Mini Sudoku\">\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"game-desc\">\n<div class=\"game-title\">Mini Sudoku<\/div>\n<div class=\"game-abt\">Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><br \/>\n              <a class=\"game-tile\" href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/games\/mini-crossword\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"game-img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Mini Crossword\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--vQydxQJa--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_100,w_100\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2025\/12\/03\/game_icon_-_mini_crossword_-_light_mode.png?itok=xnGbWUBS\" alt=\"Mini Crossword\">\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"game-desc\">\n<div class=\"game-title\">Mini Crossword<\/div>\n<div class=\"game-abt\">Small grid, big challenge<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a><br \/>\n              <a class=\"game-tile\" href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/games\/word-search\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"game-img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" title=\"Word Search\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--lVhq9IJO--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_100,w_100\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2025\/12\/03\/game_icon_-_word_search_-_light_mode.png?itok=J7DBf8e2\" alt=\"Word Search\">\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"game-desc\">\n<div class=\"game-title\">Word Search<\/div>\n<div class=\"game-abt\">Spot as many words as you can<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>        <\/a>\n          <\/div>\n<div class=\"in-article-games__full-story-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"in-article-games__full-story-button-wrapper\">\n<a class=\"in-article-games__full-story-button\" href=\";\"><br \/>\n      Show More<br \/>\n  <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"in-article-games__full-story-button-wrapper\">\n<a class=\"in-article-games__full-story-less-button\" href=\";\"><br \/>\n      Show Less<br \/>\n  <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Xi himself last visited North Korea in 2019, where he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and received full military honours, underscoring the political importance Pyongyang attached to the visit.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<section class=\"block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<figure class=\"figure block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\" data-img-id=\"\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s---klT6eoE--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_one-cms:core:watermark:ap_data-1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/one-cms\/core\/north_korea_china_43926.jpg?itok=hxpdah-g\"><figcaption class=\"figure__caption\">\n      North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a mass gymnastic performance at the May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Jun 20, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua via AP\/Yan Yan)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"text-long\">\n<p>Analysts say Xi\u2019s visit to Pyongyang would signal Beijing\u2019s intent to recalibrate influence over North Korea and the wider Korean Peninsula.<\/p>\n<p>Hao Nan, Korean Peninsula Specialist Fellow with the New York-based National Committee on American Foreign Policy (NCAFP), told CNA that the potential visit would also show China remains \u201cindispensable\u201d to managing Northeast Asian security.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c(China) wants to signal to (South Korea, Japan, Russia and the US) that North Korea remains within its strategic orbit, even as Russia-North Korea ties deepen,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, he said Beijing will \u201ctry to reassure Pyongyang, warn Washington and its allies\u201d while avoiding \u201can explicit declaration of a China-North Korea-Russia axis\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>A TRIP THAT CARRIES SYMBOLIC WEIGHT<\/h2>\n<p>According to a TIME report published on May 20, citing unnamed sources, Xi was expected to pay a state visit to North Korea as early as the final week of May.<\/p>\n<p>The report cited one source briefed on the arrangements as saying China and North Korea would \u201ccoordinate more against the new militarism of Japan\u201d, amid Beijing\u2019s concerns over Japan\u2019s security posture under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.<\/p>\n<p>Separately, South Korea&#8217;s Yonhap News Agency reported, citing unnamed government sources, that Xi could visit North Korea in late May or early June.<\/p>\n<p>A source also said that a team of Chinese security and protocol officials had recently been in Pyongyang, suggesting preparations for a possible Xi visit.<\/p>\n<p>But China has remained tight-lipped about Xi\u2019s potential state visit to North Korea.<\/p>\n<p>When asked about Xi\u2019s trip on Monday (May 25), Beijing foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had \u201cno information\u201d to offer &#8211; only reiterating that \u201cChina and the (Democratic People&#8217;s Republic of Korea) are friendly socialist neighbours\u201d whose long-running exchanges served both sides\u2019 interests and regional peace and stability.<\/p>\n<p>A report by NK News on May 26 looking at satellite imagery showed no preparations at Kim Il Sung Square as of May 24. Major welcome ceremonies are held for visiting foreign leaders at the site.<\/p>\n<p>But the groundwork appears to be in place, said Hao, citing an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/east-asia\/north-korea-kim-jong-un-china-wang-yi-closer-coordination-6050041\">earlier visit to Pyongyang<\/a> by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in April &#8211; although he remains cautious about the timing &#8211; saying that a visit might not necessarily take place in the coming days.<\/p>\n<p>Kim\u2019s most recent visit to China took place in September 2025, when he travelled to Beijing by his signature armoured train to attend Victory Day commemorations and joined Xi and Putin at a military parade in Tiananmen Square.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"referenced-card\">\n<h4 class=\"h4 h4--related-block\">\n<div>Related:<\/div>\n<\/h4>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"media-object\">\n<div class=\"media-object__figure\">\n  <a class=\"link\" href=\"\/singapore\/vivian-balakrishnan-foreign-minister-north-korea-working-visit-choe-son-hui-6145026\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--BVVAu6Wh--\/c_crop,h_900,w_1600,x_0,y_167\/c_fill,g_auto,h_98,w_175\/fl_relative,g_south_west,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2024-04:reuters_1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2026\/05\/27\/2026-05-26t215643z_1582089319_rc2wglayf9ja_rtrmadp_3_northkorea-singapore.jpg?itok=Zq0mGUZK\" alt=\"\"><br \/>\n                <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"media-object__content\">\n<div class=\"media-object__body\">\n<div class=\"list-object\">\n<h6 class=\"h6 list-object__heading\">\n<a class=\"h6__link list-object__heading-link\" href=\"\/singapore\/vivian-balakrishnan-foreign-minister-north-korea-working-visit-choe-son-hui-6145026\"><br \/>\n      <span>Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan concludes working visit to North Korea<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"media-object\">\n<div class=\"media-object__figure\">\n  <a class=\"link\" href=\"\/east-asia\/china-vladimir-putin-donald-trump-visits-xi-jinping-same-welcomes-different-stakes-6133576\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--KpI4E0zg--\/c_crop,h_899,w_1598,x_0,y_1\/c_fill,g_auto,h_98,w_175\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2026\/05\/21\/donald_trump_xi_jinping_vladimir_putin.jpg?itok=2XiTyBWe\" alt=\"\"><br \/>\n                <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"media-object__content\">\n<div class=\"media-object__body\">\n<div class=\"list-object\">\n<h6 class=\"h6 list-object__heading\">\n<a class=\"h6__link list-object__heading-link\" href=\"\/east-asia\/china-vladimir-putin-donald-trump-visits-xi-jinping-same-welcomes-different-stakes-6133576\"><br \/>\n      <span>How Trump and Putin\u2019s back-to-back visits put Beijing at the centre of great-power diplomacy<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"media-object\">\n<div class=\"media-object__figure\">\n  <a class=\"link\" href=\"\/commentary\/kim-jong-un-daughter-successor-north-korea-china-military-parade-5335856\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--JPI9gy7U--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_98,w_175\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2024-04:reuters_1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/one-cms\/core\/2025-09-02t144730z_1_lynxmpel810r4_rtroptp_3_ww2-anniversary-china-northkorea.jpg?itok=nEnkNe30\"><br \/>\n                <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"media-object__content\">\n<div class=\"media-object__body\">\n<div class=\"list-object\">\n<h6 class=\"h6 list-object__heading\">\n<a class=\"h6__link list-object__heading-link\" href=\"\/commentary\/kim-jong-un-daughter-successor-north-korea-china-military-parade-5335856\"><br \/>\n      <span>Commentary: North Korea\u2019s Kim may have just paraded his successor to the world in Beijing<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"text-long\">\n<p>Xi\u2019s first overseas trips in recent years have often carried diplomatic signals.<\/p>\n<p>In 2023, Xi chose Moscow as his first foreign trip after being re-elected as Chinese president.<\/p>\n<p>In 2024, he began overseas travel to Europe, with stops in France, Serbia and Hungary.<\/p>\n<p>In 2025, he travelled to Southeast Asia, visiting Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia.<\/p>\n<p>If North Korea becomes his first foreign destination this year, it would stand out as a pointed choice, experts said.<\/p>\n<p>Lim Tai Wei, an East Asian affairs observer and professor at Soka University in Tokyo, said any trip would carry added significance because Xi would be making it at a time when he has not been travelling abroad.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNorth Korea is China\u2019s only official ally,\u201d Lim said, adding that such a visit would carry \u201csymbolic importance\u201d in Northeast Asia\u2019s high-context political culture.<\/p>\n<h2>RECALIBRATING TIES<\/h2>\n<p>The challenge for Beijing is not simply whether North Korea is close to China, but how close it moves to Russia &#8211; and whether that leaves China with less room to shape Pyongyang\u2019s choices, analysts said.<\/p>\n<p>Russia-North Korea ties have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/east-asia\/china-russia-ties-driving-north-korean-economic-recovery-seoul-6063086\">deepened sharply<\/a> since Putin and Kim signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty in Pyongyang in June 2024 &#8211; pledging military and other assistance if either side is attacked.<\/p>\n<p>North Korea has also sent troops and weapons to support Russia\u2019s war against Ukraine, while both sides have moved to expand transport and economic links across their shared border.<\/p>\n<p>China does not necessarily view deeper Russia-North Korea ties primarily as a problem, given the strategic value of a loose counteralignment against tighter US-South Korea-Japan coordination, said NCAFP\u2019s Hao.<\/p>\n<p>But it also does not mean Beijing wants a formal bloc, he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cChina does not want to formalise this into a rigid \u2018axis\u2019 because that would help Washington consolidate its alliances and accelerate Japan\u2019s military normalisation and further constrain the US-China negotiation space,\u201d Hao said.<\/p>\n<p>For China, the issue is calibration, he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNorth Korea should remain strategically useful, but not become uncontrollable or overly dependent on Moscow.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<section class=\"block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<figure class=\"figure block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\" data-img-id=\"\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--bCyOcbRH--\/c_crop,h_576,w_1024,x_0,y_0\/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2023-11:afp_watermark_14112023,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/mediacorp\/cna\/image\/2025\/09\/03\/000_738u6g7.jpg?itok=Vsnz6uSS\" alt=\"\"><figcaption class=\"figure__caption\">\n      In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia&#8217;s President Vladimir Putin (second from left) walks with China&#8217;s President Xi Jinping (third from left) and North Korea&#8217;s leader Kim Jong Un before a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing\u2019s Tiananmen Square on Sep 3, 2025. (Photo: AFP\/Alexander Kazakov)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"text-long\">\n<p>Given the risk of jeopardising economic ties with the West, China does not want to lead a Moscow-Beijing-Pyongyang axis or be seen doing so, said Howell from Oxford University.<\/p>\n<p>But Beijing is still willing to work with Russia or North Korea where it sees benefits, he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor China, stability on the Korean Peninsula &#8211; the status quo &#8211; is its utmost priority,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Lim from Soka University said Beijing\u2019s calculus cuts both ways.<\/p>\n<p>On one hand, China may not be keen to see Pyongyang become more <a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelnewsasia.com\/east-asia\/north-koreas-kim-casts-youth-vanguard-state-goals-amid-russia-war-6096481\">deeply involved in Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine<\/a>, given Beijing\u2019s desire to maintain stable relations with the EU, South Korea and the US, he said.<\/p>\n<p>But China, Russia and North Korea are increasingly linked through overlapping security arrangements and strategic partnerships, Lim added, citing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the China-North Korea alliance and what some in the West have informally called the \u201cCRINK\u201d alignment involving China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.<\/p>\n<p>Such arrangements serve as \u201ca bulwark against any perceived hostilities from the West\u201d, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>THE WASHINGTON FACTOR<\/h2>\n<p>Beijing\u2019s balancing act over North Korea\u2019s deepening ties with Russia also matters for Washington, where Trump has repeatedly signalled interest in re-engaging Kim, experts said.<\/p>\n<p>During his visit to Beijing earlier this month, Trump said relations with Kim were \u201cvery good\u201d &#8211; according to NK News, adding to speculation over possible renewed US-North Korea engagement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWashington would probably not oppose a Xi visit in principle if it helps restrain Pyongyang and stabilise the Western Pacific,\u201d Hao said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut it would worry if Xi\u2019s visit visibly consolidates China-North Korea-Russia coordination, because that would increase US strategic pressure and alliance obligations toward Seoul and Tokyo.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<section class=\"block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<figure class=\"figure block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\" data-img-id=\"\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--SXwNAG1g--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2024-04:reuters_1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/one-cms\/core\/2026-05-22T035916Z_1_LYNXMPEM4L05L_RTROPTP_3_USA-TRUMP-TAIWAN.JPG?itok=xDmAEvzJ\"><figcaption class=\"figure__caption\">\n      US President Donald Trump gestures towards Chinese President Xi Jinping after a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing, China, on May 15, 2026. (Photo: Reuters\/Evan Vucci)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"text-long\">\n<p>The US and its allies have long relied on sanctions to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes, with Pyongyang subject to layers of UN Security Council sanctions as well as US-led restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>But the sanctions regime has come under growing strain, particularly as military cooperation between North Korea and Russia expands, and as China and Russia oppose more pressure on Pyongyang.<\/p>\n<p>Beijing wants to show that it still retains influence over the Korean Peninsula, said Edward Howell, an international relations lecturer at Oxford University and Korea Foundation Fellow at Chatham House, London.<\/p>\n<p>It also wants to signal to the West that its relationship with Pyongyang remains on good terms, Howell said, even if individual interests do not always fully align.<\/p>\n<p>China\u2019s message is also that \u201csanctions and pressure on North Korea is, in Beijing\u2019s eyes, not a good strategy\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n<p>The possibility of US-North Korea talks resuming \u201ccannot be ruled out\u201d, said Howell &#8211; though it remains less clear whether Xi will play any meaningful mediation role between Washington and Pyongyang.<\/p>\n<p>For Kim, the bar for any renewed engagement remains high, he added, noting that Pyongyang has made clear any talks with Washington would have to start with acceptance of its nuclear status, while US policy still formally rests on denuclearisation.<\/p>\n<p>Even so, Kim is unlikely to lose much from talking to Trump, Howell said. \u201cAfter all, he can gain domestic and international status whilst giving away little-to-no concessions,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>If Kim could gain some form of tacit acceptance of North Korea\u2019s self-declared nuclear status, Pyongyang would be able to frame any Trump-Kim talks as a victory, Howell added.<\/p>\n<p>A visit from Xi would also strengthen his hand beyond any potential talks with Washington, Hao said.<\/p>\n<p>Hosting Xi would elevate Kim\u2019s domestic prestige and help present North Korea not as an isolated state, but as one courted by major powers, he noted.<\/p>\n<p>It would also signal that Pyongyang is \u201cnot merely Russia\u2019s junior partner, but a strategic hinge between Beijing and Moscow\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<section class=\"block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<figure class=\"figure block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\" data-img-id=\"\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--kSvBHlWB--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2024-04:reuters_1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/one-cms\/core\/2025-12-24T222821Z_1_LYNXMPELBN0NK_RTROPTP_3_WW2-ANNIVERSARY-CHINA-NORTHKOREA.JPG?itok=UgblN8wA\"><figcaption class=\"figure__caption\">\n      North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (left) shakes hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Beijing, China, in this photo released on Sep 4, 2025. (Photo: KCNA via REUTERS)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"text-long\">\n<p>Economically, deeper China-Russia-North Korea border cooperation would also matter to Pyongyang, particularly around the Tumen River Delta, where \u201cChinese capital, technology and market access remain irreplaceable\u201d, Hao added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRussia gives North Korea strategic oxygen, but China offers economic scale,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<h2>DELICATE BALANCING ACT<\/h2>\n<p>The next test, analysts said, will be whether a Xi visit lowers tensions on the Korean Peninsula or adds another layer of uncertainty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe likely outcome is managed stability without diplomatic breakthrough,\u201d Hao said.<\/p>\n<p>Under current South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, South Korea may act as \u201ca brake on escalation rather than simply an accelerator of bloc confrontation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLee\u2019s government, as seen in its approach so far, is likely to preserve room for pragmatic engagement and crisis management,\u201d Hao added.<\/p>\n<p>Japan, however, is likely to read a Xi visit to North Korea through a sharper security lens, given Tokyo\u2019s concerns over North Korean missiles, nuclear threats and any sign of closer China-North Korea-Russia coordination, analysts said.<\/p>\n<p>Hao said Tokyo would likely use such a visit to justify stronger US-Japan coordination and military normalisation, while South Korea\u2019s response would be more nuanced.<\/p>\n<p>The visit would also sharpen concerns in Seoul, Tokyo and Washington about North Korea\u2019s cooperation with China and Russia, said Howell &#8211; at a time when the US and its allies already face \u201ca growing number of interconnected threats from adversarial actors\u201d, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"referenced-card\">\n<h4 class=\"h4 h4--related-block\">\n<div>Related:<\/div>\n<\/h4>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"media-object\">\n<div class=\"media-object__figure\">\n  <a class=\"link\" href=\"\/commentary\/china-xi-jinping-trump-putin-war-iran-ukraine-end-6133761\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--Mql41DdB--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_98,w_175\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_one-cms:core:watermark:ap_data-1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/one-cms\/core\/trump_mideast_ukraine_might_makes_right_10827.jpg?itok=ZsK8d8R0\"><br \/>\n                <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"media-object__content\">\n<div class=\"media-object__body\">\n<div class=\"list-object\">\n<h6 class=\"h6 list-object__heading\">\n<a class=\"h6__link list-object__heading-link\" href=\"\/commentary\/china-xi-jinping-trump-putin-war-iran-ukraine-end-6133761\"><br \/>\n      <span>Commentary: China\u2019s geopolitical weight on display, but will Xi help Trump and Putin end their wars?<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"media-object\">\n<div class=\"media-object__figure\">\n  <a class=\"link\" href=\"\/east-asia\/trump-xi-summit-constructive-strategic-stability-us-china-6121716\"><br \/>\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--PC4mA0R6--\/c_crop,h_560,w_997,x_3,y_35\/c_fill,g_auto,h_98,w_175\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_one-cms:core:watermark:ap_data-1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/one-cms\/core\/China_Trump_16977.jpg?itok=b8u7mo3t\"><br \/>\n                <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"media-object__content\">\n<div class=\"media-object__body\">\n<div class=\"list-object\">\n<h6 class=\"h6 list-object__heading\">\n<a class=\"h6__link list-object__heading-link\" href=\"\/east-asia\/trump-xi-summit-constructive-strategic-stability-us-china-6121716\"><br \/>\n      <span>\u2018New positioning\u2019 in Sino-US ties: What does \u2018constructive strategic stability\u2019 really mean?<\/span><br \/>\n  <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/h6>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"text-long\">\n<p>If the Xi trip happens, official statements about it may matter as much as the optics, analysts said.<\/p>\n<p>Hao said these should be read less for dramatic language than for what Beijing \u201comits, downgrades or carefully preserves\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The key word is \u201cdenuclearisation\u201d, he said. If Pyongyang accepts a Xi visit, it would suggest Beijing has reassured Kim that denuclearisation will not be the central agenda or a public demand, even if China keeps standard language on political settlement.<\/p>\n<p>Wording will also matter because \u201cdenuclearisation of North Korea\u201d and \u201cdenuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula\u201d carry different implications, said Howell &#8211; with the latter often linked to Pyongyang\u2019s demand for changes to the US military posture in South Korea.<\/p>\n<p>Other signals to watch include whether readouts use routine language such as \u201cstrategic communication\u201d, or stronger formulations such as \u201cstrategic coordination\u201d and \u201cjoint response to regional changes\u201d, Hao said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<section class=\"block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\">\n<figure class=\"figure block block- block--view-mode-default clearfix\" data-img-id=\"\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/dam.mediacorp.sg\/image\/upload\/s--wARdeRDX--\/c_fill,g_auto,h_468,w_830\/fl_relative,g_south_east,l_mediacorp:cna:watermark:2024-04:reuters_1,w_0.1\/f_auto,q_auto\/v1\/one-cms\/core\/2026-04-14T015400Z_2_LYNXMPEM3C1CP_RTROPTP_3_NORTHKOREA-MISSILES.JPG?itok=15MphC5A\"><figcaption class=\"figure__caption\">\n      North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (centre) observes the test-firing of strategic cruise missiles and anti-warship missiles from the destroyer Choe Hyon in North Korea on Apr 12, 2026. (Photo: KCNA via Reuters)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"text-long\">\n<p>References to Tumen River cooperation or Northeast Asian connectivity would point to practical three-way cooperation without declaring an axis, he added, while criticism of US extended deterrence, missile defence, strategic assets or trilateral military coordination would send a harder bloc message.<\/p>\n<p>For Howell, the longer-term challenge is whether Washington and its allies can loosen those links.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNorth Korea, in my view, is never going to abandon its nuclear weapons completely, what the regime calls its &#8216;treasured sword&#8217;,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if the West can work out how to break the links between North Korea and China, or North Korea and Russia, then this gargantuan challenge is one that Seoul, Tokyo, and Washington must 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North [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":942,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-941","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Why President Xi\u2019s potential North Korea visit carries strategic weight for China and beyond - Asia Newscast<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.asianewscast.com\/?p=941\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why President Xi\u2019s potential North Korea visit carries strategic weight for China and beyond - Asia Newscast\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Advertisement analysis East Asia Why President Xi\u2019s potential North Korea visit carries strategic weight for China and beyond A potential state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Pyongyang reportedly soon would mark his first overseas trip of the year and reinforce Beijing\u2019s influence as North Korea-Russia ties deepen amid global tensions, analysts say. 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