China's Xi to visit North Korea as Beijing seeks deeper Pyongyang ties

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea from June 8 to 9, his first trip in nearly seven years, to reassert ties with Pyongyang. The visit follows Xi's recent summits with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, and comes as Beijing seeks to strengthen relations with its treaty ally after pandemic-related freezes and North Korea's closer ties with Russia.