Time, a U.S. current affairs weekly, reported on the 20th (local time), citing anonymous sources, that Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to pay a state visit to North Korea as early as next week.
The source said that China and North Korea will work more closely together against Japan's new militarism, noting that plans for Xi's state visit are moving forward.
Time noted that Xi's move is seen as a response to Japan breaking from its long-standing pacifist stance and taking a more assertive geopolitical posture.
Since Sanae Takaichi took office as prime minister, Japan has strengthened its security policy line, including lifting, for the first time in 60 years, export controls on lethal weapons and pushing a constitutional amendment to explicitly stipulate the Self-Defense Forces.
However, Xi's visit to North Korea has not yet been officially announced.
In June 2019, Xi became the first Chinese president to visit Pyongyang, where he held a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.