Crossing NK | June 9, 2026
On June 8, 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang for his first visit to North Korea in seven years. Red carpets, a 21-gun salute, streets lined with North Korean and Chinese flags.. Here is what this visit actually means.
The Real Reason — A Strategic Move on Taiwan
The official occasion is the 65th anniversary of the China-North Korea friendship treaty. But the real clue came three weeks earlier, at the U.S.-China summit in Beijing. On Air Force One heading home, President Trump revealed that Xi had directly asked him: “If China attacks Taiwan, will the United States defend it?” Trump said he told Xi: “I don’t talk about that” — maintaining deliberate ambiguity. Analysts noted that Xi asking this question face-to-face signals that Beijing is already planning for a military scenario over Taiwan.
Trump also called a $14 billion arms package for Taiwan a “negotiating chip” with China. After the summit, that arms sale was paused. The New York Times called this “an act that undermines the credibility of America’s commitment to defend Taiwan.” For Xi, it was direct confirmation that American resolve is wavering.
Defense Chiefs at the Table — Military Cooperation First Ever Mentioned
Against this backdrop, Xi flew to Pyongyang. The summit table was unusually flanked by the defense ministers of both nations. Xi explicitly called for strengthening military exchanges and cooperation between the two countries’ armed forces — the first time this has ever been stated publicly in a China-North Korea summit. South Korea’s Ministry of Unification officially confirmed this was “the first time military exchange has been publicly mentioned in the Kim Jong Un era.” Some analysts described this as a revival of “resist America, aid Korea” — the doctrine behind China’s Korean War intervention.
North Korean troops battle-tested in Ukraine have demonstrated real combat effectiveness that Beijing has been watching closely. Analysts now openly discuss the scenario in which China requests North Korean military support in a Taiwan contingency.
Kim’s Response — “One China” Declared Publicly
Kim Jong Un publicly declared that North Korea would “steadfastly support China’s policies and positions to defend its core interests based on the One China principle” — explicitly endorsing China’s position on Taiwan. Meanwhile, Xi said nothing about denuclearization throughout his two-day visit, despite having agreed to work toward Korean Peninsula denuclearization with Trump just a month before.
What Was Exchanged — Economic Support for Military Cards
Xi pledged “unwavering” friendship in a pre-visit op-ed in North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun and signaled readiness to expand cooperation in economics, agriculture, and construction. The day before Xi arrived, Kim inspected a nuclear material production facility and declared North Korea would expand its nuclear forces “at an exponential rate,” also ordering expanded missile production. In short: China offered economic support, and North Korea signaled its military value — battle-proven troops as a strategic card.
What the U.S. and South Korea Must Watch
The key point the United States must watch is this. It has not been confirmed whether Xi Jinping tacitly accepted North Korea’s nuclear status during his Pyongyang visit — despite the denuclearization commitment that was formally agreed upon at the U.S.-China summit.
China originally did not want North Korea to have nuclear weapons. A nuclear-armed North Korea might stop listening to Beijing. However, that China needs North Korea to strengthen its military power — at least at this moment — seems increasingly clear.
For South Korea, the danger is more immediate. If North Korean forces cooperate militarily with China or directly participate in a Taiwan invasion — as they did in Ukraine with Russia — the United States would be forced to focus its resources on the Taiwan situation, and U.S. forces in Korea could be redeployed. At that moment, a power vacuum forms on the Korean Peninsula. North Korea could exploit that gap to act against South Korea simultaneously. The military cooperation publicly mentioned for the first time at this summit may be the first step toward exactly that scenario.
Crossing NK’s Lens
As great powers negotiate over Taiwan and military alliances, the question Crossing NK will continue to ask is: where are the North Korean people in all of this? As Chinese economic support increases, does any of it reach ordinary North Koreans — or does it flow to the military and the party? That is the accountability gap we are here to track.
Sources
한국어: YTN, MBC, 파이낸셜뉴스, 조선일보, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, CNN, New York Times, AP (2026년 5월~6월)
English: YTN, MBC, Financial News Korea, Chosun Ilbo, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Times, CNN, New York Times, AP (May–June 2026)