On June 8 at noon, General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang by special plane, starting a state visit to North Korea.

At around 12:00 local time, the special plane carrying Xi Jinping arrived at the airport. Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, along with his wife Ri Sol-ju, greeted them at the airport. Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan stepped out of the cabin and down the stairs. Kim Jong-un warmly shook hands with Xi Jinping. North Korean children presented flowers to Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan.

Cai Qi, Wang Yi, and other accompanying personnel arrived on the same plane.

The Chinese Ambassador to North Korea also greeted them at the airport.

Pyongyang

Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, is one of the oldest cities in Korea, with a history dating back over 2,000 years as a key political and cultural center. It was heavily damaged during the Korean War (1950-1953) and was rebuilt with Soviet-style architecture, now featuring monumental sites like Kim Il-sung Square and the Juche Tower. Today, it serves as the political, economic, and cultural heart of the isolated nation, though access for outsiders remains highly restricted.