Xi Jinping to Visit Pyongyang Amid North Korea's Nuclear Expansion

Chinese leader Xi Jinping will travel to Pyongyang for a two-day state visit set for Monday, June 8, and Tuesday, June 9, both countries announced Friday, in what will be his first visit in nearly seven years. The trip comes just weeks after Xi separately hosted US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing. The trip's announcement also comes a day after North Korea unveiled a new facility to produce the ingredients for nuclear bombs, a move experts say suggests North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is eager to cement his country’s status as a nuclear weapons state ahead of Xi’s visit. During a visit to the plant, Kim announced plans to bolster the country’s nuclear forces “at an exponential rate.” According to South Korea’s military, the new nuclear facility is a uranium enrichment plant. In recent years, Kim has placed a priority on developing relations with Russia by sending troops and conventional weapons to support its war against Ukraine. But the North Korean leader has also recently been cozying up to China, the North’s biggest trade partner and aid provider. Xi and Kim last met in Beijing in September and pledged mutual support and enhanced cooperation. Kim was in the Chinese capital to attend a Chinese military parade alongside other foreign leaders, including Putin.