Xi Jinping may visit North Korea, seek role in Trump-Kim talks

Xi Jinping’s possible trip to North Korea would be more than a ceremonial stop in Pyongyang. It would signal that Beijing wants to keep Kim Jong Un closer to China’s orbit while preserving leverage over any future deal involving Donald Trump and the North Korean leader.

Chinese security and protocol officials were recently in Pyongyang, a sign that preparations are under way for a visit that could come in late May or early June. A senior government source said Xi would try to act as a mediator between Kim and Trump, giving the trip an unusual strategic purpose at a moment when Washington, Seoul and Beijing are all watching for shifts in the regional balance.

For South Korea, the reported visit adds another layer of uncertainty to a tense but fluid diplomatic landscape. Seoul’s foreign ministry said it hopes exchanges between North Korea and China contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, but it did not directly confirm the travel plans. That careful wording reflects how closely South Korea is tracking the possibility that Beijing may be trying to reassert itself as the indispensable power broker in Northeast Asia.

The timing also fits a recent acceleration in China-North Korea contact. China’s foreign ministry said Wang Yi met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in Pyongyang on April 9, 2026, then met Kim Jong Un there on April 10. Those meetings followed a period of pandemic-era cooling and suggested that Beijing has been rebuilding high-level ties before any visit by Xi.

Kim’s own trip to Beijing in September 2025 underscored how far the alignment has shifted. He stood with Xi and Vladimir Putin at a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, a display that drew more than two dozen foreign leaders and about 50,000 spectators. The image of the three leaders together sent a blunt message about solidarity, power and regional influence.

North Korea’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine has strained its ties with China at times, but Beijing remains Pyongyang’s most important external economic and diplomatic partner. If Xi goes to North Korea, even as a reported prospect, the visit would be read in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo as a deliberate signal that China intends to stay at the center of any future talks and to shape the terms of Northeast Asia’s next diplomatic opening.