Kathmandu. Chinese President Xi Jinping has visited North Korea’s capital Pyongyang for the first time in seven years. During his two-day state visit, he will hold high-level talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and discuss bilateral relations, economic cooperation and regional security. Analysts say the visit is expected to reinvigorate China’s influence over North Korea and further highlight Beijing’s role in changing international power dynamics.

Xi is accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan, Foreign Minister Wang Yi and senior officials of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Xinhua news agency reported. This is the first formal summit between Xi and Kim since their meeting in Beijing last year.

Although the detailed agenda of the visit has not been made public, experts say the focus of the talks will be on strengthening China-DPRK relations, expanding economic cooperation and regional security situation. The two countries have been trying to revitalize the old strategic partnership at a time when they have faced separate tensions with the US in recent years.

The visit comes after US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Trump and Xi are expected to meet again in the coming months. Analysts say that demonstrating influence over North Korea could be an important factor for China in its diplomatic competition with the United States.

China has long been a major economic partner and diplomatic backer of North Korea. Despite international sanctions, Beijing has maintained economic ties with Pyongyang. This year marks the 65th anniversary of the mutual defence treaty between the two countries.

However, in recent years, questions have been raised about the state of Sino-North Korea relations as North Korea has rapidly expanded its ties with Russia. During the war in Ukraine, North Korea has provided military aid to Russia and received financial and military aid in return. In such a situation, Xi’s visit is seen as a sign that China is trying to reassert its traditional influence.

In an article published in the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper, Xi said China and North Korea should strengthen strategic cooperation and stand together against “hegemonic politics” and “coercive politics”. He stressed the need for cooperation between the two countries to build a multi-polar world order.

Analysts say China could offer North Korea to resume group tourist visits, increase food and fertilizer supplies, and expand joint economic projects. North Korea cannot rely solely on Russia, so it feels the need to give equal priority to relations with China.

Another important aspect of the visit is North Korea’s nuclear program. Experts say Xi may be more likely to push for a message of peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula rather than directly pressuring Kim to denuclearize. Kim is focused on trying to get international recognition of North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.

After meeting between Trump and Xi last month, the US side reaffirmed the denuclearization of North Korea as a common goal. But China has only said that the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula has been discussed. On Sunday, Kim Yo Jong, Kim’s sister and a senior official, rejected the US interpretation as “misleading”.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un recently visited a new nuclear material production facility and reaffirmed his commitment to rapidly expand the country’s nuclear capacity. He also inspected sea trials of the new warship and directed to speed up the build-up of a nuclear-armed naval force.

North Korea has rejected offers from the United States and South Korea to expand its nuclear program. Xi Jinping’s visit is not just a regular diplomatic meeting between the two countries, but also an important event affecting the changing power equation in Northeast Asia.