Chinese President Xi Jinping has touched down in Pyongyang as he marks his first visit to North Korea since 2019, state news agency Xinhua reported.
Xi is set to hold talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during his two-day visit, although no specific agenda has yet been announced.
North Korea rolls out red carpet for Xi
Xi arrived in North Korea's capital on Monday at noon local time (0300 UTC), Xinhua reported.
Visuals from the official Chinese agency showed military officers flanking a red carpet, that was laid out on the tarmac, as the Air China plane carrying Xi taxied in.
Chinese and North Korean flags were seen at the airport with a banner that read: "We warmly welcome Comrade Xi Jinping" and lauded the two Asian nations' "unbreakable friendship," according to a translation cited by news agency AFP.
Kim and his wife Ri Sol-ju greeted Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan.
The two leaders shook hands, as children presented flowers to the visitors, AFP reported.
Xinhua had earlier reported that Xi is accompanied by senior officials including Foreign Minister Wang Yi and de facto chief of staff Cai Qi.
Xi last met Kim in September in Beijing, when he invited the North Korean leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin to a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Xi hails 'invincible friendship' with North Korea
Relations between Beijing and internationally ostracized Pyongyang are at a "new historical starting point," Xi said ahead of his visit in remarks published by North Korea's official newspaper of record, Rodong Sinmun.
"No matter how the times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea is always invincible," the newspaper quoted Xi as saying.The Chinese leader reportedly said that the two Asian neighbors would bolster exchanges in all areas and stressed his nation's steadfast policy to develop ties with North Korea.
"We must oppose hegemony, authoritarianism and all attempts and conspiracies to revive militarism that endanger regional security and stability," Rodong Sinmun quoted Xi as saying.
Beijing has long been Pyongyang's primary diplomatic backer and its economic lifeline.
US-based think tank the National Committee on North Korea estimates that the country depends on China for up to 95% of total trade and 85% of its exports.
China, Russia and the race for influence over North Korea
Xi's trip to North Korea comes after the Chinese leader hosted US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin in separate, back-to-back meetings in Beijing last month.
The visit also comes as North Korea's nuclear talks with Washington remain at an impasse.
After the Beijing summit between Xi and Trump, the White House said that the two leaders "
— confirmed their shared goal to denuclearize North Korea."
But a day before Xi was to arrive in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un's powerful sister — Kim Yo Jong — said that North Korea's nuclear weapons program was "the line of no retreat."
Xi's first visit to North Korea in seven years also comes as Pyongyang expands trade and military ties with Russia.
North Korea has been prioritizing cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and weapons to sustain Moscow's war in Ukraine.
And in a quid-pro-quo, Pyongyang has received economic and military assistance from Russia.
Experts say that if Xi is able to restore an exclusive Chinese influence over the North, it would give him leverage in dealings with Trump, who has constantly advocated to revive diplomacy with Kim.
Meanwhile, a day before Xi's trip, North Korea announced plans for a 10,000-ton naval destroyer, underpinning its status as a nuclear-armed state.
Why North Korea is now Europe's problem
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