New Delhi, June 8 -- Chinese President Xi Jinping received a lavish welcome as he arrived in North Korea on Monday for a rare visit expected to focus on reasserting China's unique influence over the North in return for providing economic and political benefits.

China's Xinhua News Agency reported that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan upon their arrival at Pyongyang's international airport. Xinhua said the two leaders shook hands.

Xi later arrived at Pyongyang's main square, where a military honor guard and thousands of people, including children carrying balloons and hopping, staged a welcoming ceremony. Buildings surrounding the plaza were draped in the two countries' flags, gi...