Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit North Korea on Monday, marking his first trip to the country in nearly seven years. The visit is intended to reinforce ties between Beijing and Pyongyang, China's only formal treaty ally. Xi will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to exchange views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern.
Ahead of the visit, Kim Yo Jong, the sister of Kim Jong Un, reaffirmed the country's nuclear ambitions. She stated that North Korea will never back down on its status as a nuclear-armed state and warned that it will not tolerate any threats.
The trip provides Kim Jong Un with a stage to showcase an increasingly assertive foreign policy anchored by closer ties with China. In the run-up to the visit, North Korea has indicated that it is hoping for at least a tacit recognition of its nuclear status.