BEIJING (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make his first visit to China in six years to attend a military parade next week, the two countries said Thursday, in an event that would bring Kim together with a group of world leaders for the first time since taking office in late 2011.
China will hold the parade in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be among 26 foreign leaders who attend, the official Xinhua News Agency said. It cited Assistant Foreign Minister Hong Lei as saying Kim will also attend what it called “China’s V-Day commemorations” on Sept. 3.
North Korea’s state news agency confirmed Kim will visit China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the war’s end. It gave no further details, including how long he will stay in China and whether he will hold an official meeting with Xi, Putin or other leaders during his visit.
No leaders from the United States or major Western European countries are expected to attend, in part because of their differences with Putin over the war in Ukraine.
If Kim’s trip is realized, it would be his first trip to China since 2019. Since inheriting power upon his father’s death in December 2011, Kim has met Xi, Putin, U.S. President Donald Trump, former South Korean President Moon Jae-in and others, but all those summits were bilateral meetings and Kim hasn’t attended any multilateral summits or events involving foreign leaders.
China has long been North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main aid provider, but there have been questions about their relations in recent years. North Korea has been focused on expanding cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and ammunition to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. But many observers say North Korea is expected to take steps to improve ties with China.
In 2023, about 97% of North Korea’s external trade was with China, while 1.2% was with Russia.
The announcement on Kim’s trip comes after North Korea has recently said it has no intentions of returning to diplomacy with the U.S. and North Korea, though Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung have repeatedly expressed their hopes to resume talks with North Korea.
During a meeting with Lee in Washington this week, Trump spoke of his past summits with Kim, including one at the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Responding to a question over whether he would return to the Demilitarized Zone, Trump told reporters, “I loved it. Remember when I walked across the line and everyone went crazy.”
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Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea.
