Chinese President Xi Jinping Appears at Kim Il Sung Square in North Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan arrived at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, by car. According to China’s official news agency Xinhua, they were welcomed by a military band and an enthusiastic crowd eagerly gathered for the occasion. Banners emblazoned with slogans such as “Eternal Friendship Between North Korea and China” and “Long Live the Unbreakable Friendship Between North Korea and China” were prominently displayed in the area. North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju personally greeted the Chinese presidential couple.

President Xi inspected the “Guard of Honor” unit of the Korean People’s Army, the formal military force of North Korea. During the inspection, soldiers loudly chanted in Korean, “We wish Comrade Xi Jinping good health.” Video footage released by Xinhua showed children joyfully jumping and large crowds waving Chinese and North Korean flags and floral bouquets in a spirited welcome.

Standing at a “new starting point” in bilateral relations, President Xi is visiting North Korea for the first time in seven years. He received a grand reception in Pyongyang. Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju rolled out the red carpet at the airport to welcome President Xi. A Guard of Honor was presented in his honor, and the assembled crowd enthusiastically waved the flags of both China and North Korea.

According to Chinese state media, President Xi praised the traditional ties between the two countries and emphasized that China and North Korea now shoulder a “new responsibility of the times.”