A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows China's president Xi Jinping (R) shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 04 September 2025 (issued 05 September 2025). EPA/KCNA EDITORIAL USE ONLY
The announcement follows separate summits Xi hosted in Beijing for U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin last month. Trump, who met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times in his first term, previously said he would be open to meeting the North Korean leader again.
Kim was a guest at a massive military parade in Beijing last September, travelling to the Chinese capital on his signature green armoured train.
Beijing has worked to draw Pyongyang - its only formal treaty ally - back into its fold, after the COVID-19 pandemic froze exchanges and the North Korean leader deepened relations with Moscow by sending troops and weapons to support Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
(Reporting by Liz Lee, Xiuhao Chen and Qiaoyi Li; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Kate Mayberry)