From June 8 to 9, 2026, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President of the People’s Republic of China, paid a state visit to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between China and the DPRK, scholars and experts from the Center for Northeast Asian Studies of Jilin University analyzed the contemporary significance and development trajectory of this visit against the backdrop of bilateral exchanges, practical cooperation and regional security.
Professor Zhang Huizhi, Deputy Director of the Center and Director of the Institute of Korean Studies, shared insights with Xinhua News Agency. She noted that expanding practical China-DPRK cooperation across economic, social and other fields will advance bilateral and multilateral regional collaboration, forming a key underpinning for stability and prosperity in Northeast Asia.
Professor Ba Dianjun, Deputy Director of the Center and Director of the Institute of International Politics, published a signed article on the website dedicated to Xi Jinping Thought on Diplomacy and China’s Diplomacy in the New Era. He argued that the state visit represents a strategic reaffirmation of China-DPRK ties, marking a full shift of bilateral relations from post-pandemic recovery to a new phase of regularized operation. Upholding the long-standing strength of high-level strategic guidance, the visit further consolidates bilateral political trust and deepens strategic coordination rooted in shared ideals and convictions.
China-DPRK cooperation will evolve from simple commodity trade to comprehensive alignment of national development strategies, covering agriculture, infrastructure, medical care, education, think tank exchanges and other diverse sectors. With full reopening of border ports, railways, air routes and other transport links, people-to-people exchanges will serve as a core lever for partnership, continuously bonding the two peoples and energizing subnational cooperation. Meanwhile, China and the DPRK will jointly safeguard peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and uphold international fairness and justice, working together to advance the building of a community with a shared future for mankind. The visit sends a positive signal to the international community about upholding regional order and pursuing common development.
Moving forward, the Center for Northeast Asian Studies of Jilin University will leverage its strengths as a university-based think tank to conduct sustained follow-up research on China-DPRK relations and Northeast Asian regional cooperation. It will offer academic insights and policy references to support China’s overall diplomatic agenda and foster peace, stability and shared growth across Northeast Asia.
