Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday, kicking off the first state visit by a Chinese leader in North Korea in 14 years. 

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi arrived at Pyongyang’s Sunan International Airport late Thursday morning after departing for the two-day landmark trip from Beijing Capital International Airport.

Xinhua said after lunch, the two leaders will hold summit talks, followed by a welcome banquet and attend a mass game performance. 

Chinese officials said earlier that during the trip, Xi and Kim will visit the Sino-North Korean Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, a monument commemorating Chinese fighters who fought alongside the North against the South and more than a dozen other countries during the Korean War.

China said that Xi's visit would mark the 70th anniversary of China-North Korea diplomatic relations and that the two leaders will hold in-depth discussions on ways to develop bilateral relations.

Ahead of the visit, Xi wrote in an op-ed published by the North’s state-run Rodong Sinmun that he would work to actuate progress in dialogue and negotiations regarding Korean Peninsula issues.

[Photo : YONHAP News]