Chinese leader Xi Jinping made his first foreign visit of 2026 to North Korea, sparking questions about the motivations behind strengthening ties with Kim Jong Un's regime.

It takes convincing these days to get China’s leader to go abroad. Xi Jinping’s just wrapped up what was only his first foreign visit of 2026. Why Pyongyang? Hard to deduce from official readouts of that two-day state visit to neighboring North Korea. Politeness after a pair of visits by Kim Jong Un to Beijing? Celebrations of the 65th anniversary of their mutual defense pact?