Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un vow stronger ties as North Korea visit wraps up

Chinese President Xi Jinping has wrapped up a two-day visit to Pyongyang, his first official trip to North Korea since 2019.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pulled out all the stops for Xi when he arrived on Monday, from a red-carpet welcome to elaborate acrobatic performances.

While no concrete deals emerged from the trip, its significance was recognised by Kim, who said that Xi's choice of Pyongyang for his first state visit of the year showed the "utmost importance" placed on bilateral ties, said a report by state news outlet KCNA.

The trip also comes as Beijing is trying to reassert sway over its strategically vital yet deeply unpredictable partner that has drawn closer to Russia.

With this visit, President Xi will feel he has done enough to remind Kim that his main benefactor is China.

For Kim, he will feel such that having such a VIP on his doorstep, just a few weeks after Xi has held meetings with US leader Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will show that he has important friends despite continued international sanctions.

At an evening banquet on Monday, Xi praised relations between both countries, saying that China and North Korea are "linked by mountains and rivers and share a common destiny", state outlet Xinhua reported.

Kim echoed this, saying that North Korea would continue to uphold its friendship with China as a top priority and reaffirmed his support for Beijing's "One China" principle.