China's leader has arrived in North Korea on a visit for the first time in seven years — CCTV
On Monday, June 8, Xi Jinping, President of the People's Republic of China, arrived in Pyongyang for a two-day state visit.
This trip marks the Chinese leader’s first visit to North Korea since 2019.
The main goal of the diplomatic mission is to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries amid ongoing international pressure.
In the central square of the DPRK capital named after Kim Il-sung, the country’s founder and grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un, a grand welcoming ceremony was held for Xi and his North Korean counterpart, featuring a 21-gun salute, a military parade, and hundreds of local residents carrying flowers, flags of both countries, and portraits of Xi and Kim.
The program of the high-ranking official’s visit remains confidential. The parties announced only Xi’s talks with Kim; the rest of the visit’s agenda is traditionally not made public.
The official talks are intended to take bilateral relations between the two countries to a qualitatively new level of cooperation.
Before the trip, Xi stated that relations between Beijing and Pyongyang are at a new historical starting point and that the two Asian neighbors will strengthen cooperation and exchanges in all areas.
The leaders of China and North Korea last met in September of last year in Beijing at a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
For the isolated DPRK, Beijing’s support remains a key factor in the political regime’s survival.
As noted, China remains North Korea’s primary economic, political, and security ally, even as the country faces strict international sanctions due to its illegal nuclear and missile programs and human rights violations.
Despite the restrictions, Beijing continues to provide significant diplomatic and humanitarian aid to its neighbor.
This was reported by China’s state-run CCTV.
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