China in June 2026: the most important developments in politics
In June 2026, the dominant political event for China was President Xi Jinping's visit to North Korea, his first since 2019. It was announced on 5 June and took place on 8 and 9 June, with a summit with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. The two leaders agreed to strengthen ties without publicly addressing denuclearisation; before the visit, Kim Yo-jong had reaffirmed that North Korea's nuclear status is not up for negotiation. South Korea's Unification Ministry noted that Xi publicly mentioned North Korea-China military exchanges for the first time, and North Korea said the visit produced a "far-reaching blueprint" for ties. Both countries adopted the same term criticising Japan's "neo-militarism".
Beijing also received a series of foreign leaders. On 29 June Xi met Belarusian President Lukashenko in Beijing and pledged continued development assistance and support for Belarus's sovereignty, after Ukrainian President Zelensky had issued threats against Belarus. Xi also met Myanmar's president on 16 June and Cambodia's Senate President Hun Sen on 26 June. Bangladesh's prime minister visited on an official trip, and the two countries signed 13 memorandums of understanding and agreed to build a community with a shared future.
Tension continued around Taiwan and China's neighbours. China called US comments on the Tiananmen crackdown a smear campaign, while Taiwan's president urged Beijing to acknowledge the truth about it. On 11 June China queried foreign ships near Taiwan for the first time, and on 24 June the UK, Germany and France voiced concern over Chinese naval drills near the island. China criticised Japan's security policy and the Philippine defence secretary, and the Philippines took diplomatic action over a floating structure in the South China Sea.
At home, China published a white paper on global governance on 17 June and a national human rights action plan for 2026-2030. Six military lawmakers, including four generals, were removed from the National People's Congress, together with a former financial regulator and a former politburo member. On 30 June China and the EU agreed on an October deadline for trade files and launched a trade consultation mechanism.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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