{"id":22277,"date":"2026-06-08T02:35:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T02:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/08\/chinese-leader-xi-heads-to-north-korea-for-closely-watched-talks-with-kim-ksat\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T02:35:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T02:35:02","slug":"chinese-leader-xi-heads-to-north-korea-for-closely-watched-talks-with-kim-ksat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/2026\/06\/08\/chinese-leader-xi-heads-to-north-korea-for-closely-watched-talks-with-kim-ksat\/","title":{"rendered":"Chinese leader Xi heads to North Korea for closely watched talks with Kim &#8211; KSAT"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Hyung-Jin Kim<br \/>Associated Press<br \/>Published:\u00a0<time datetime=\"2026-06-08T01:03:14.000Z\">June 7, 2026 at 8:03 PM<\/time><br \/>Updated:\u00a0<time datetime=\"2026-06-08T02:23:41.000Z\">June 7, 2026 at 9:23 PM<\/time><br \/>Hyung-Jin Kim<br \/>Associated Press<br \/>Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.<br \/>FILE &#8211; People watch a large screen showing an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, June 21, 2019. (AP Photo\/Jon Chol Jin, File)<br \/><strong>SEOUL<\/strong> \u2013 Chinese President <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/xi-jinping\">Xi Jinping<\/a> departed for <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-xi-north-korea-kim-4def48720a7cb66f820d3efc256a941c\">Pyongyang<\/a> on Monday in his first visit in seven years, a trip likely meant to reassert China\u2019s unique influence over North Korea in return for providing economic and political benefits.<br \/>China&#8217;s official Xinhua news agency described Xi&#8217;s trip as a state visit and his entourage includes his wife Peng Liyuan and top officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi. <br \/>Recommended Videos<br \/>During his two-day stay, Xi is to meet leader <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/kim-jong-un\/\">Kim Jong Un<\/a>. It will be their first summit since September <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-north-korea-kim-xi-meeting-a7c380c34f3d13d6670edfc07b3ed2be\">in Beijing<\/a> after attending <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-parade-xi-putin-kim-photo-3d34709b05b096138b5f013a0343049b\">a military parade<\/a> with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders. <br \/>No specific agenda has been mentioned. Foreign experts predict the meeting will have big ramifications on bilateral ties and beyond, as they both seek to fully restore their traditional alliance in the face of separate confrontations with the U.S.<br \/>\u201cA Chinese leader doesn\u2019t just visit North Korea because a visit is due. Xi\u2019s trip will have real implications for China-DPRK relations,\u201d said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul, using the abbreviation for North Korea\u2019s full name.<br \/>Sway over North Korea likely helps Xi&#8217;s dealings with US<br \/>Xi\u2019s trip comes after his back-to-back summits with U.S. President Donald <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-xi-china-trade-iran-taiwan-f6c59000412653e445acbf9672ac7f47\">Trump<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/china-russia-putin-xi-5b7304bc1604cbb7135cb96f217b8b3e\">Putin<\/a> in Beijing last month. Xi is expected to meet Trump again on a planned U.S. visit in September.<br \/>Xi will try to demonstrate China\u2019s \u201csway over the Korean Peninsula\u201d and \u201ca leadership role in entire Northeast Asia in the ages of strategic competitions with the U.S.,\u201d said Kwak Gil Sup, the head of One Korea Center, a website specializing in North Korea affairs.<br \/>China has long been North Korea&#8217;s economic lifeline and main diplomatic backer. It was believed to have avoided fully enforcing U.N. sanctions on North Korea and sent clandestine aid to help its impoverished neighbor stay afloat. This year marks 65 years since the two countries signed a mutual defense treaty.<br \/>But there have been questions about <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-korea-kim-china-xi-f2b1aebf0016cc32fb40600802540a21\">their ties<\/a> in recent years, with North Korea prioritizing cooperation with <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-korea-russia-ukraine-memorial-museum-7c010fe1ded78fc45167c4fbab17ec92\">Russia<\/a> by supplying troops and weapons to support its war against Ukraine. In return, North Korea has received economic and military assistance from Russia. <br \/>Restoring an exclusive influence over North Korea would give Xi a leverage in dealings with Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/trump-north-korea-kim-apec-a4e1a588eb1786250beac5a5e4e876ec\">restart diplomacy<\/a> with Kim, experts say.<br \/>\u201cImplementing U.N. Security Council resolutions and enforcing sanctions do not appear to be priorities for China,&#8221; Easley said.<br \/>In an article published on the North\u2019s main Rodong Sinmun newspaper Monday, Xi said China and North Korea must boost strategic cooperation and work together to oppose \u201chegemonism and coercive politics\u201d and pursue an orderly multipolar world. <br \/>Kim needs Xi&#8217;s support for his push for nuclear state<br \/>Xi would likely offer Kim economic aid packages such as shipments of rice and fertilizers, a resumption of Chinese group tourism to North Korea. and joint economic projects, analysts said. <br \/>\u201cNorth Korea can\u2019t solely rely on Russia. It needs to align with China,\u201d Kwak said.<br \/>In a Monday editorial, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper called Xi \u201cthe most honored state guest,\u201d saying Pyongyang\u2019s streets \u201care filled with an atmosphere of friendship.\u201d <br \/>Xi could also refrain from pressing Kim on the issue of denuclearization of North Korea, and vaguely speak about peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. That would be essential for Kim, who is desperate to win international recognition as a nuclear weapons state as a way to call for lifting of U.N. sanctions on North Korea.<br \/>\u201cChinese officials have taken the position of not speaking publicly about denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula while still maintaining it as a long-term goal. Kim appears to want Xi to accept North Korea as a nuclear neighbor,\u201d Easley said.<br \/>After last month\u2019s summit between Trump and Xi, the White House said the two leaders confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea. But China only said the leaders discussed the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. On Sunday, Kim\u2019s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, dismissed as \u201cfalse information\u201d the U.S. readout of the Xi-Trump meeting.<br \/>Last week, Kim unveiled <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-korea-kim-nuclear-uranium-8b8cb67751916637e0db62d6bc0147a2\">a new plant<\/a> to produce nuclear ingredients and vowed to bolster the country\u2019s nuclear forces \u201cat an exponential rate.\u201d He also observed sea trials of a new <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-korea-kim-jong-un-xi-destroyer-5cac2d190fbddceb7d9fd5d1905d867b\">naval destroyer<\/a> and called for speeding up efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy. <br \/>On Sunday, Kim\u2019s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, echoed her brother, calling a U.S. push for the denuclearization of North Korea an \u201cescapist and anachronistic dream.\u201d<br \/>Kim Jong Un has rebuffed U.S. and South Korean offers for talks and focused on enlarging and modernizing his <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/koreas-launch-projectile-060148d7789377ff8691bc24d42b136d\">nuclear arsenal<\/a> since his high-stakes diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019. The North Korean leader said in September that he still had <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/north-korea-trump-kim-good-memories-nuclear-be9f1f41e56914ca07934bf7c50b8237\">&#8220;good personal memories\u201d<\/a> of Trump but urged the U.S. to withdraw its demand for North Korea to denuclearize as a precondition for resuming diplomacy.<br \/>Experts say Kim would eventually want arms reductions talks with the U.S. to win concessions in return for partially surrendering his nuclear weapons. <br \/>Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/account\/newsletters\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Email Newsletters\">Email Newsletters<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/rss\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to KSAT RSS Feeds\">KSAT RSS Feeds<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/contests\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Contests and Rules\">Contests and Rules<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/contact\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Contact Us\">Contact Us<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/money\/2019\/11\/05\/internship-program\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to KSAT Internships\">KSAT Internships<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/careers\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Careers at KSAT\">Careers at KSAT<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/community\/2019\/11\/06\/closed-captioning-contact-information\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Closed Captioning \/ Audio Description\">Closed Captioning \/ Audio Description<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/publicfiles.fcc.gov\/tv-profile\/KSAT-TV\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Public File\">Public File<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/eeo-report\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Current EEO Report\">Current EEO Report<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/station\/2019\/11\/06\/terms-of-use\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Terms of Use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/privacy\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Privacy Policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a><br \/><a href=\"\/usprivacy\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to Do Not Sell My Info\">Do Not Sell My Info<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/station\/2020\/12\/22\/fcc-applications\/\" aria-label=\"Navigate to FCC Applications\">FCC Applications<\/a><br \/><button type=\"button\" style=\"appearance:none;border:none;background:none;color:inherit;padding:0;cursor:pointer\" aria-label=\"Open cookie preferences dialog\">Cookie Preferences<\/button><br \/><span>If you need help with the Public File, call<\/span> <a class=\"Link-PukYsz7Y__LinkBase-sc-scvrjz-0 dqbtrn\" href=\"tel:+12103511200\" aria-label=\"(210) 351-1200\">(210) 351-1200<\/a><br \/><span>At KSAT, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes.<\/span> <a class=\"Link-PukYsz7Y__LinkBase-sc-scvrjz-0 dqbtrn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ksat.com\/station\/2024\/04\/18\/how-we-are-using-ai-at-graham-media-group\/\" aria-label=\"Read our article\">Read our article<\/a> <span>to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.<\/span><br \/>Copyright \u00a9 2026 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/rss\/articles\/CBMiuAFBVV95cUxOSXVSTFkyeTB3T2gzSE51Z2FxRUk4ejFhMHZBNE84Uld4Y0NUNkNQUE5VT1lvckZiNC0xTHhKU2UwdjZDU3ZwbGEwMlFaSGtVQ2R3ME1sQXNlNEhwcV9wRVNJYkdzakRnN1VhTmhUSTRkNkNJR0JZSC1YdHlfU1A2MVRpRENORHhGNm5kQWVsd0h5UUVlbmN3Z2JxQnQ3NjRFdEk4VF8tNFVESGE1dTVoZlhqdEdiSGRF?oc=5\">source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hyung-Jin KimAssociated PressPublished:\u00a0June 7, 2026 at 8:03 PMUpdated:\u00a0June 7, 2026 at 9:23 PMHyung-Jin KimAssociated PressCopyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.FILE &#8211; People watch a large screen showing an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Pyongyang Railway Station in Pyongyang, North Korea, Friday, June 21, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnewstoday.uk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}