North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit to Beijing for China’s Victory Day celebrations, Sept. 3, 2025. (KCNA via Yonhap) China appears to be stepping up efforts to repair ties with North Korea and expand exchanges with Pyongyang ahead of US President Donald Trump’s expected visit to Beijing later this month, as Washington continues to signal interest in reopening dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, experts said.
Earlier this month, China resumed Beijing-Pyongyang passenger train service after nearly six years of suspension, with Air China also set to restart direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang later in the month, according to industry sources.
Analysts say the moves suggest Beijing is seeking to rebuild its influence over Pyongyang at a time when diplomatic dynamics surrounding the Korean Peninsula could shift again.
“Resuming direct air and rail connections with Pyongyang suggests that China is seeking to restore its influence over North Korea at a time when diplomatic dynamics surrounding the Korean Peninsula are shifting,” said Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of the Sejong Institute.
He added that the move could help North Korea secure much-needed foreign currency as it seeks to revive sectors such as tourism and advance domestic economic development projects.
“Expanding transport links with China — North Korea’s largest trading partner and a potential source of tourists — provides Pyongyang with a relatively low-cost way to attract foreign currency while gradually reopening its borders,” he said.
The resumption of train and air services is also expected to support North Korea’s tourism sector, which Kim has shown strong interest in developing.
Since last year, Pyongyang has gradually reopened borders that had been sealed during the pandemic while promoting tourism products targeting visitors from countries such as China and Russia, though infrastructure limitations have constrained progress.
According to Cheong, Beijing’s recent steps may also reflect an effort to demonstrate that it retains meaningful influence over Pyongyang as discussions about potential US-North Korea engagement resurface.
“China may be seeking to ensure that any future diplomatic developments involving North Korea will inevitably require Beijing’s involvement,” Cheong said.
The renewed exchanges also come after a period in which North Korea-China relations appeared uneven despite expectations of closer ties following a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping last September.
Pyongyang later showed signs of discomfort after South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Xi held a summit in January and signaled closer cooperation.
During that meeting, Lee asked China to play a constructive role in addressing tensions on the Korean Peninsula — remarks that North Korean media later mocked as “begging.”
Earlier this year, when Kim sent New Year’s greeting messages to foreign leaders, North Korean state media also avoided mentioning Xi by name and instead referred only to his official title, a move analysts interpreted as an indirect sign of dissatisfaction with Beijing.
Amid the renewed exchanges, China’s Foreign Ministry said at a briefing on March 10 that maintaining regular passenger train operations between the two countries carries “important significance” in facilitating cross-border exchanges.
“China supports the relevant authorities of both sides in strengthening communication and creating more convenient conditions for people-to-people exchanges,” the ministry said.
Lim Eul-chul, a professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies, said the relationship between North Korea and China should be understood as a strategic one that fluctuates depending on broader geopolitical developments.
“North Korea and China are neither completely distant nor completely close,” Lim said. “Their relationship appears to be managed strategically, with both sides adjusting their distance depending on the moves of the United States.”
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