During negotiations in Pyongyang on Monday, Chinese President Xi Jinping assured North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of China’s continued support for the DPRK, DPA reported.
- Xi Jinping assured Kim Jong Un of China’s continued support for the DPRK.
- China plans closer cooperation with North Korea in economy, trade and science.
According to Si, regardless of the development of the international situation, China will continue to support the traditional friendship between the two countries and Kim’s efforts to lead North Korea “on the path of socialist development.” At the same time, the Chinese president indicated the possibility of closer cooperation in the fields of economy, trade and science.
Kim’s priority: relations with China
Jonhap news agency reported that Kim described the relationship between the two countries as “unbreakable” and said that deepening it with China was the top political priority, “the choice of the people and the call of the times.”
The leader of the DPRK added that at a time when the international community is “going through an unprecedented and great change”, Pyongyang confirms its support for the “one China” policy and promised that the DPRK will continue to help protect the country’s fundamental interests.
Work on exemplary relationships
Kim also pledged to work to make the relationship between the two states exemplary, saying both sides should jointly contribute to regional and global peace and prosperity.
Before his visit to the DPRK, Xi wrote about “new development opportunities” for the two neighboring countries in an article for the North Korean party daily Rodong Sinmun. At the same time, he criticized “hegemonism and power politics” – these are terms that Beijing often uses in connection with the United States.
Beijing is a key source of diplomatic and political support for North Korea, which is among the world’s most isolated states and faces international sanctions. However, despite close relations, visits by Chinese presidents to the DPRK are rare. This is Xi Jinping’s first trip in about seven years. Si and Kim have met six times in the past.
On the eve of Si’s visit, Kim’s sister Kim Yo-jong again rejected international efforts to denuclearize the country. She declared that North Korea’s status as a nuclear power is an “irreversible reality, whether others recognize it or not.”
North Korea strengthens relations with Moscow
Recently, Pyongyang has significantly strengthened its relations with Moscow. Since the beginning of the Russian war against Ukraine, it has supplied it with large volumes of ammunition and artillery shells, and according to available information, it has also sent approximately 15,000 soldiers to support Russian troops.
