Xi Jinping Arrives in Pyongyang for First State Visit in Seven Years

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in North Korea on Monday, marking his first state visit to the country in seven years, according to Chinese television reports.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry had earlier announced that Xi would visit North Korea on June 8 and 9 at the invitation of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, constituting his first official visit in seven years.

Accompanying Xi on this trip are his wife, Peng Liyuan; Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee; Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi; among others.

The most recent meeting between the two leaders took place in September of the previous year in Beijing, when Kim Jong Un arrived aboard his armored train to attend a large military parade.