Xi Jinping's North Korea visit is unusual, and shows his need to court Kim Jong Un

China's President Xi Jinping has grown accustomed to world leaders coming to him.

Since the start of 2026, dozens of dignitaries have arrived in Beijing, seeking to renew, reset, and rebuild relationships with China.

Among them were two of the world's most powerful leaders, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, who arrived in China to lavish ceremonies mere days apart.

The image of both men side-by-side with Xi sent a clear message about the president's statesmanship and China's desire to be a major diplomatic powerhouse.

This week, Xi added a meeting with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, to his 2026 diplomacy bingo card.

But the bilateral talks with Kim were a big departure from Xi's usual diplomacy playbook because, for the first time this year, Xi was the one travelling abroad to make the meeting happen.

The meeting deemed worthy of a trip abroad

Last year, Xi made just four trips overseas — to South-East Asia, Russia, Central Asia and South Korea.

There are few leaders or relationships deemed important enough by Beijing to warrant a visit, but North Korea is in that limited circle.

This is not just because the pair share a rare defence treaty and decades of diplomatic history, but because the possibility of a nuclear North Korea, with an emboldened Kim, is a major existential problem for Beijing.

Beijing is well aware that if North Korea isn't in its orbit, it can very easily threaten the economic and security stability that China needs for its future prosperity.

And in recent years, Beijing's diplomatic influence over the nuclear state has waned, as North Korea has built a closer relationship with Russia.

Pyongyang has provided thousands of troops and munitions to Moscow for its war in Ukraine, and in return, Russia has helped prop up North Korea's ailing economy with billions of dollars' worth of food, oil and weapons technology.

The growing alliance between the two leaders has left Beijing anxious about its ties with North Korea, despite the fact Pyongyang still relies on China for more than 90 per cent of its legitimate trade.

So Xi's first trip to North Korea in seven years has been underwritten by an overarching goal to reassert control and remind Kim of who is boss.

And judging by the state media's pictures of the two-day spectacle, it's a message that's been received.

Xi receives a red carpet welcome

Kim has heaped praise and spectacle on the Chinese leader during the visit.

He plastered Xi's face on giant billboards across Pyongyang, and hosted a lavish gala dinner featuring circus tricks, songs of friendship and a giant screen projection reading "Wo ai ni Zhongguo" — which translates to "I love you China".

In state media readouts, both sides lauded the summit and committed to deepening ties and exchanges in areas like military and trade.

Kim told his Chinese counterpart their alliance remains "unbreakable".

"General Secretary Xi, your choice of Pyongyang for the first overseas trip this year fully reflects the great importance you attach to [North Korea]-China relations and the profound friendship between the two countries, which is a tremendous encouragement to the [North Korean] side," he said.

They also presented a united front against the West, even committing to carry forward the "great spirit of resisting the United States".

That one line is a reminder to the world of Xi Jinping's powerful ambitions and growing diplomatic weight on the global stage.

It's also a reminder that there is only one president who could secure face-to-face meetings with the leaders of the US, Russia and North Korea within the space of one month.

Xi has repeatedly spoken of his goals to build a multipolar world and fight against a unilateral global order, which is currently ruled by the United States.

And in recent months, he has positioned himself as a stable alternative diplomatic leader in the face of chaos and instability caused by the actions of the US.

But there was one glaring omission that didn't rate a single mention from either side — and it's the very issue that underpins China's anxiety around keeping its neighbour in check: North Korea's nuclear program.

The nuclear program

Following Xi's meeting with Trump in Beijing in mid-May, there was speculation that the US leader may have asked Xi to pass on a request to Kim for North Korea to re-engage with the United States.

Kim has repeatedly refused to agree to any talks with Washington if his country's nuclear program is on the table.

Many experts believe China has now, at least privately, accepted North Korea as a de facto nuclear state, and may not be willing to waste political capital at this stage to pressure Kim on his future plans. 

But those nuclear ambitions are growing. 

And that means Beijing will need to be increasingly engaged with its north-east neighbour, to protect its interests.