China’s top legislator Zhao Leji met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang today, expressing Beijing’s willingness to work with its counterparts to deepen trust and promote co-operation, Asian media reported.
Zhao Leji, completing a goodwill tour that began on Thursday, is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the North since 2018, when Li Zhanshu was present at the 70th anniversary of the North’s founding.
“No matter how the international situation changes, the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK, created and nurtured by the older generation of leaders from both parties and countries, remains deep-rooted and strong over time,” Zhao stressed.
In his speech at the opening ceremony of the China-North Korea Friendship Year, Zhao emphasised that the top leaders of the two countries have met five times in recent years, underscoring the special rapprochement despite global tensions.
He stressed that Beijing’s consistent strategic policy is to protect and develop friendly relations between China and North Korea, North Korean state media CTAC reported.
Meanwhile, Pyongyang is seeking to expand diplomatic exchanges with its main political ally following the lifting of Covid restrictions. On South Korea, the rhetoric contrasted sharply with friendly relations with Beijing as the North’s leader declared Seoul his country’s “principal enemy,” scrapped reunification and outreach agencies and threatened war over “even 0.001mm” of territorial encroachment
South Korean local media reported earlier this week that Zhao’s trip could include planning for Kim’s next potential state visit to Beijing.
