Simone McCarthy

Beijing/Seoul (CNN) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for his first visit to the secluded nation in seven years, as he aims to reassert Beijing's close ties with Pyongyang and its leader Kim Jong Un.

Beijing/Seoul (CNN) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping received a pomp-filled welcome as he arrived in North Korea Monday for his first visit to the secluded nation in seven years.

Beijing/Seoul (CNN) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping called for deepening “strategic coordination and cooperation” with North Korea shortly after receiving

Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited North Korea for the first time in seven years to strengthen ties with leader Kim Jong Un.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s first visit to North Korea in seven years wasn’t just loaded with rhetoric hailing historic ties between China and its longstanding – and only – treaty ally.

A large screen in Beijing shows Chinese leader Xi Jinping and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un shaking hands in Pyongyang on June 8. Kyodo News/Getty Images

China's leader concluded a two-day trip to North Korea, reinforcing his "rock-solid" relationship with Kim Jong-un amid Pyongyang's nuclear buildup and deepening ties with Russia.

Nearly four months after the US and Israel attacked Iran, Beijing has weathered the energy crisis and cast itself as a global champion of peace.

When US and Israeli bombs first began falling on Iran at the end of February, China’s leaders were staring at the very real possibility of another friendly regime being decapitated, much like had happened with Venezuela only weeks before.

Steve Witkoff is traveling to Switzerland, a US official said, as Washington and Tehran work to get technical talks back on track after a postponement. Follow for live updates.