Chinese President Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week for a state visit. Xi has been invited by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, state media from both countries report.

The state visit is on June 8 and 9, writes the Chinese state news agency Xinhua. It is the first time in seven years that the two have met on North Korean soil: Xi’s last visit was in June 2019.

The trip comes just weeks after Xi received visits from US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a short period of time. The US president visited Beijing for the first time in nine years, breaking the ice between the two superpowers.

Putin’s visit was marked by talks on energy, security and mutual relations. China has long been Russia’s most important trading partner and has become even more crucial since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both countries agreed to an extension of a ‘friendship treaty’ signed in 2001.

Xi’s visit to North Korea will officially mark the 65th anniversary of the signing of a comprehensive cooperation treaty.

The North Korean and Chinese leaders met in Beijing in September. Mutual support and more intensive cooperation were agreed. Kim was in the Chinese capital to attend a military parade with other foreign leaders, including Putin.

The Chinese Foreign Minister also visited the North Korean capital Pyongyang last month. Kim expressed to the foreign minister his willingness to receive the Chinese leader.