Xi Jinping makes rare trip to North Korea next week for the first time since 2019

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Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next week, marking his first trip to the isolated nation since 2019. The announcement comes as Beijing seeks to strengthen ties with Pyongyang, which has deepened its relationship with Russia in recent years. The visit signals China's effort to maintain influence over its nuclear-armed neighbor amid shifting geopolitical alignments in East Asia. Xi's trip underscores Beijing's concern about North Korea's growing closeness to Moscow, particularly following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.