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Chinese president treats North Korean leader to unprecedented private dinner

Published: 05 Sep. 2025, 11:07 Updated: 05 Sep. 2025, 11:08

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping before the Victory Day parade in Beijing on Sept. 3. [NEWS1]

Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted an exclusive banquet for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during his three-day stay in Beijing, a rare diplomatic courtesy that elevated Kim’s trip to the level of a state visit and underscored the warming ties between the two countries.

Kim departed Beijing on Thursday evening aboard his private train after holding a summit with Xi at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. It was followed by a smaller tea meeting and a dinner banquet.

While 26 heads of state attended the 80th Victory Day anniversary celebrations, Xi arranged a separate banquet exclusively for Kim — an extraordinary gesture akin to a state visit.

It was Kim’s longest stay in China to date, longer than any of his previous four. He is expected to arrive in Pyongyang on Friday afternoon.

The summit was the first meeting between the two leaders since Xi's visit to Pyongyang in June 2019 and has been interpreted as a symbol of the full restoration of bilateral ties.

“I am very pleased to meet with Comrade General Secretary Kim Jong-un again after six years,” Xi said of the summit, according to Chinese state broadcaster China Central Television. “During my state visit to Pyongyang in June 2019, I could feel the deep family-like atmosphere of China-North Korea ties everywhere I went.”

Xi recalled the 2019 visit, saying, “The solemn China-North Korea Friendship Tower, the grand mass games and the passionate citizens all left me with a deep impression.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Sept. 4. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

“It is truly refreshing to meet Comrade Xi again after six years,” Kim said, smiling. “On this visit to China, I was deeply struck by how much the country has changed and developed.”

“What has not changed is the warmth of our Chinese comrades, who welcomed our delegation with utmost hospitality,” Kim added. “I deeply felt once again that no matter how the world changes, the friendship between the peoples of North Korea and China will not change.”

Xi said Kim’s participation in the Victory Day celebrations demonstrated “North Korea’s firm will to defend the achievements of victory in World War II” and added that the summit provided “an important opportunity to develop the friendship and cooperation between the two parties and two countries.”

“No matter how the international situation changes, the friendship between North Korea and China will not change, and it is the North’s firm will to continuously deepen and develop bilateral ties,” Kim said. “North Korea will firmly support China’s stance on core interests including Taiwan, Tibet and Xinjiang [Uyghur Autonomous Region], and will support China’s defense of sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seen entering a banquet hall in Beijing next to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin after the Victory Day military parade on Sept. 3. [NEWS1]

Kim Jong-un was accompanied on his trip by his daughter, Kim Ju-ae; his sister Kim Yo-jong; Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui; party secretaries Jo Yong-won and Kim Tok-hun; department directors Ju Chang-il, Kim Sung-nam, Kim Jae-ryong and Kim Yong-su; and deputy directors Kim Pyong-ho and Hyon Song-wol.

The delegation composition suggested the visit aimed to coordinate North Korea's diplomacy with Russia and China and discuss economic cooperation with Beijing.

Based on surveillance footage and Chinese state media reporting, the summit lasted less than two hours, after which Kim concluded his trip. Around 10:05 p.m. Thursday, his private train departed Beijing Railway Station. State media quickly released footage of the summit complete with background music to highlight the atmosphere of friendship.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]