Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday praised what he described as an “unbreakable friendship” with North Korea as he arrived in Pyongyang for his first overseas visit of the year, following consecutive summit meetings hosted in Beijing.
China, widely viewed as Washington’s main geopolitical competitor, has long been North Korea’s largest trading partner and a crucial source of economic and diplomatic backing for the heavily sanctioned state.
Footage released by Xinhua News Agency showed military officials standing along a red carpet as an Air China aircraft carrying Xi landed in Pyongyang for his first trip to the country since 2019.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol-ju personally received Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan upon arrival.
The two leaders exchanged handshakes as children presented bouquets to the visiting Chinese delegation. Chinese and North Korean flags lined the venue, alongside a large banner welcoming Xi and celebrating the “enduring friendship” between the two neighbouring allies.