Kim Jong Un visits China to open new bridge, reaffirm ties
The North Korean leader used the trip to reaffirm ties with its powerful neighbor.
Key points
- Kim Jong Un visited China on Saturday to open a new bridge connecting the two countries.
- Kim met Wang Huning and reaffirmed North Korea's resolve to develop bilateral cooperation.
- Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025, meeting Xi Jinping and watching a military parade.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China on Saturday to inaugurate a new bridge linking the two countries and to pledge expanded cooperation with Beijing. It was his first trip to China in a year. Kim crossed the newly opened bridge into the Chinese border city of Dandong, according to South Korea's Unification Ministry and China's Xinhua News Agency.
The visit comes as Kim pursues a more assertive foreign policy and seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow against the United States, which he describes as a "new Cold War."
Memorial visit and meeting
In Dandong, Kim visited a memorial marking China's support for North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War and met Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of China's Communist Party. At the memorial, Kim said the DPRK will "firmly carry forward the invincible DPRK-China friendship forged at the cost of blood all the time," according to the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
During their meeting, Kim reaffirmed a resolve to develop bilateral cooperation. Wang conveyed greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping and said Kim's memorial visit was "of great significance" for carrying forward the friendship, KCNA reported. The two also toured a car factory before Wang accompanied Kim to the bridge to see him off.
firmly carry forward the invincible DPRK-China friendship forged at the cost of blood all the time
— Kim Jong Un
Bridge mission and regional ties
While returning home via the bridge, Kim said it "would undoubtedly and correctly fulfill its historic mission of linking the two countries and firmly joining the minds of the peoples of the two countries," according to KCNA. Kim has recently moved to strengthen ties with China, the North's traditional main ally and economic lifeline, after years of prioritizing relations with Russia. China has sought to restore its unique influence over North Korea.
North Korea has sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to support Russian President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine, possibly in exchange for military and economic assistance. Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025, when he met Xi and watched a military parade alongside Putin and other foreign leaders.
