North Korean and Chinese leaders hold first official talks in 6 years

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on September 4 evening, a day after the two attended a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of Japan’s defeat in World War II alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The bilateral meeting, which began around 6 p.m. and lasted into the early evening, was the sixth between Kim and Xi and their first in six years. Xi last visited Pyongyang in June 2019.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, who confirmed the meeting earlier in the day, offered few details, saying only that the two leaders would discuss “significant issues.”

“China stands ready to strengthen strategic communication and enhance exchanges and cooperation with the DPRK,” Guo said, using the acronym for North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The meeting came after Kim met separately with Putin on September 3 and pledged his “full support” for Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

Although experts believe Beijing is wary of growing ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, the appearance of the three leaders together on the rostrum of Tiananmen Gate during the parade appeared to send a message of solidarity amid U.S. pressure on all three nations.

Kim’s regime is under heavy international sanctions for its nuclear weapons program while Putin’s government is at a standstill in talks with Washington regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. China, meanwhile, faces the threat of elevated U.S. tariffs tied to its perceived trade imbalance.

Kim’s itinerary in China has not been publicly disclosed, though analysts expect he will depart on the night of September 4 aboard his armored train for the return journey to North Korea.

The rail trip from Beijing to the Chinese border city of Dandong typically takes 12 to 14 hours.

Sightseeing ferries along the Yalu River, which separates North Korea and China, have been temporarily suspended but are expected to resume on September 5, likely after Kim’s train crosses the border via the Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]