Xi Jinping calls for greater “strategic resolve” during a visit by North Korea’s premier, signalling renewed cooperation despite Pyongyang’s expanding relationship with Russia

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called on China and North Korea to preserve their strategic unity and accelerate bilateral cooperation as the two countries mark the 65th anniversary of their friendship and mutual-assistance treaty.

Xi delivered the message during talks in Beijing with North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song, who arrived in China on Friday for a three-day official visit. The meeting comes at a time of mounting geopolitical instability and reflects Beijing’s determination to reinforce its influence over one of its most important—and unpredictable—regional partners.

According to Chinese state accounts, Xi urged the two countries to maintain “strategic resolve” and adapt their relationship to changing international circumstances. He also called for agreements reached during his recent summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to be implemented more rapidly.

Pak is leading a senior party and government delegation attending commemorative events for the China–North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. Signed in 1961, the agreement includes provisions requiring each country to assist the other in the event of an external military attack. It remains China’s only active formal mutual-defence treaty.

China’s Foreign Ministry described the relationship with North Korea as a longstanding strategic priority, saying that maintaining and developing bilateral ties remained an unwavering policy of the Chinese Communist Party and government.

The renewed diplomatic activity follows Xi’s visit to Pyongyang in June, his first trip to North Korea in nearly seven years. During that meeting, Xi and Kim pledged to strengthen economic cooperation and restore cross-border exchanges disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including transport links, tourism and commercial activity.

The latest meeting also carries broader political significance. North Korea has developed increasingly close military and economic relations with Russia, creating uncertainty in Beijing over its traditional position as Pyongyang’s most influential ally.

Kim has sought to benefit from stronger ties with both powers without becoming entirely dependent on either. Cooperation with Moscow has provided North Korea with additional diplomatic support and potential access to military technology, while China remains its largest economic partner and an essential source of trade, energy and political protection.

Analysts argue that Beijing is therefore attempting to ensure that Russia’s expanding presence does not diminish Chinese influence on the Korean Peninsula. A recent assessment by the Brookings Institution described the relationship with Pyongyang as strategically important to Xi, particularly as China works to demonstrate that it remains North Korea’s principal partner despite closer cooperation between Kim and Moscow.

The absence of public discussion about North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme has also attracted attention. Chinese statements surrounding Xi’s recent meetings with Kim did not repeat previous calls for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

Some analysts interpret that omission as evidence that Beijing is becoming more accepting of the reality that North Korea is unlikely to surrender its nuclear arsenal. Others caution that China still has reasons to oppose an uncontrolled expansion of Pyongyang’s weapons programme, which could encourage greater military cooperation among the United States, South Korea and Japan.

For Beijing, closer relations with North Korea serve several strategic purposes. Pyongyang acts as a geographical buffer between China and American-allied South Korea, while its government frequently supports Chinese positions on Taiwan and broader efforts to promote a more multipolar international order.

North Korea, meanwhile, depends heavily on China for economic survival but has traditionally resisted any arrangement that could limit its political independence. This has produced a relationship characterised by formal solidarity, practical cooperation and periodic mistrust.

The anniversary visit suggests that both sides currently see value in emphasising unity. China faces growing competition with the United States and its allies across East Asia, while North Korea is seeking political and economic support as it confronts international sanctions and continued regional isolation.

The stronger public display of cooperation is unlikely to eliminate the underlying differences between Beijing and Pyongyang. China prioritises regional stability and predictable economic development, while North Korea frequently uses missile tests, military threats and diplomatic confrontation to advance its interests.

Nevertheless, Xi’s meeting with Pak sends a clear signal that Beijing intends to remain central to decisions concerning the Korean Peninsula. As international alliances become increasingly divided, China and North Korea are presenting their decades-old partnership as a source of strategic continuity—even as both governments adjust to a rapidly changing balance of power.