Xi Jinping in North Korea: Beijing wants to regain control in the face of the rapprochement between Kim Jong Un and Moscow

The Chinese president Xi Jinping China will undertake a two-day official visit to North Korea starting June 8, Beijing announced Friday. This will be his first trip to the country in nearly seven years, a highly symbolic journey that underscores the strategic importance China continues to attach to its sole ally bound by a defense treaty.

This visit comes as Beijing seeks to strengthen its ties with Kim Jong Un. Exchanges between the two countries had slowed considerably since the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, North Korea has moved closer to Russia, providing weapons and troops to support Moscow's military effort in Ukraine, according to Western accusations.

For several analysts, this trip also aims to underscore China's central role on the Korean Peninsula. According to researcher John Delury, the message sent by Beijing is clear: China intends to remain Pyongyang's main partner and interlocutor, despite Russia's growing influence in the country.

The announcement comes a few weeks after intense diplomatic activity by Xi Jinping, who received the US president in Beijing. Donald Trump as well as Russian President Vladimir Putin. This trip to North Korea thus appears as a new step in the Chinese leader's regional strategy.

In recent months, signs of a thaw in relations between Beijing and Pyongyang have multiplied. Passenger rail services between the two capitals resumed in March after a six-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Air China, for its part, has reinstated its flights between the two countries.

Xi Jinping's visit also comes amid persistent tensions surrounding North Korea's nuclear program. Shortly before the announcement of the trip, Kim Jong Un called for the continued development of his country's nuclear arsenal. Discussions between the two leaders will therefore be closely watched by regional and Western powers, who are seeking to assess the evolving strategic balance in Northeast Asia.