BEIJING (AP) — Chinese leader Xi Jinping will travel to North Korea next week, both countries announced Friday, in what will be his first visit in nearly seven years.

Less than a week after Xi Jinping rolled out the red carpet for US President Donald Trump, the Chinese leader is hosting another guest of honor — and this time it’s a close ally.

Russian President Vladimir Putin had warm words for "old friend" Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, describing their relationship in personal terms and dismissing the notion that the war in Ukraine had driven a Russian "pivot" toward the East Asian power.

China's Xi Jinping welcomed Vladimir Putin in Beijing, touted the countries' "unyielding" ties, and took a loosely veiled jab at Trump's policies.

On the surface, Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s back-to-back summits with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin looked pretty similar, with formal handshakes in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square,