BEIJING (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will make a rare trip abroad next week to attend a military parade in the Chinese capital, North Korean and Chinese state media said Thursday.
China will hold the parade in Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Twenty-six foreign leaders will attend, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, the official Xinhua News Agency said. No leaders from the United States or major Western European countries are expected,
in part because of their differences with Putin over the war in Ukraine.
North Korea's state news agency said Kim will soon visit China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the war's end. It gave no further details, including when Kim will depart from North Korea and how long he will stay in China.
If Kim's trip is realized, it would be his first trip to China since 2019.
China has long been North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main aid provider, but there have been questions about their relations in recent years. North Korea has been focused on expanding cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and ammunition to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. But many observers say North Korea is expected to take steps to improve ties with China.
In 2023, about 97% of North Korea’s external trade was with China, while 1.2% was with Russia.
