SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited China on Saturday, inaugurating a new bridge linking the two countries and saying he hoped to expand cooperation with his powerful neighbor.
Kim’s visit to China is his latest move in an increasingly assertive foreign policy as he seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a united front against the United States in what he describes as a “new Cold War.” It’s his first visit in a year.
Kim arrived in the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday after cross the newly opened bridgeaccording to South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles North Korea-related affairs, and China’s official Xinhua news agency.
Both sides vowed to strengthen cooperation
He met with Wang Huning, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China. The two men visited an automobile factory and promised to strengthen bilateral relations.
Kim said his country “is ready to work with China to advance their historic friendship and expand practical cooperation, thereby bringing tangible benefits to the people of the two countries,” Xinhua said.
Wang then accompanied Kim to the bridge to expel him, according to Xinhua. North Korean state media did not immediately report on Kim’s visit.
A new bridge has been built to help expand trade between the countries
Experts said the opening of the new bridge over the Yalu River this month was a key symbol of strengthening ties between North Korea and China and reflected their intention to expand trade, as it is expected to allow 24-hour two-way traffic, including container shipments and heavy trucks.
Kim has recently sought to strengthen ties with China, the North’s main traditional ally and economic lifeline, after years of prioritizing ties with Russia. He has sent thousands of troops and conventional weapons to support President Vladimir Putin’s efforts. war in Ukrainepossibly in exchange for military and economic assistance.
Kim’s visit coincides with key anniversary of Korean War battle with China
Kim’s latest visit to China is the sixth since he came to power in late 2011, following the death of his father. The visit appears to have been timed to highlight the strength of its ties with Beijing in the run-up to October 25, the anniversary of China’s first major victory in the Korean War, days after Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River into North Korea in October 1950.
The war began with North Korea’s surprise attack on the South in June 1950, prompting a U.N.-led, U.S.-led coalition to intervene and repel the offensive. North Korea was supported primarily by Chinese forces, with help from the then-Soviet Union Air Force, before fighting ended in a 1953 armistice that left the peninsula technically at war.
Kim said his Saturday visit was also to commemorate those killed during the war, according to Xinhua.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pyongyang in June to meet with Kim. During their summitXi expressed Beijing’s desire to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, agriculture, construction and technology, while Kim described ties with China as a top strategic priority.
Kim last visited Beijing in September 2025, when he met with Xi and attended a military parade alongside Putin and other foreign leaders.
Kim has maintained a hard line toward Seoul and has so far rejected a proposal from U.S. President Donald Trump to revive their diplomacy, which collapsed in 2019 during Trump’s first term. Kim’s government has called on Washington to abandon its “hostile policy” and drop its demands for the North’s denuclearization as a precondition for resuming negotiations.
South Korea’s liberal government, which favors engagement with the North, hopes the resumption of negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang will thaw inter-Korean relations and has also urged China to play a “constructive” role in resolving the impasse. Seoul’s intelligence agency told lawmakers last month that it sees a 50 percent chance of a meeting between Trump and Kim on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, summit to be held next month in Shenzhen, China.
“From Seoul’s perspective, if North Korea focuses more on economic development rather than military buildup and threats, that would be positive for diplomacy and security,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
“But if Kim manages to extract even more benefits from China and Russia, it is unclear what Seoul could offer that would be worth the political risks that Pyongyang attaches to trade with a more prosperous, globalized and free Korea.”
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Wu reported from Bangkok. AP video journalist Mayuko Ono in Tokyo contributed to this report.
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