Chinese President Xi Jinping Sends Message to North Korea: “Strengthen and Develop Relations”

Kokcha News Agency – During a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who is visiting China, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed the strong ties between the two nations. According to Xinhua, Xi highlighted that China and North Korea are “good neighbors” and pledged to enhance coordination to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and protect mutual interests in international and regional affairs.

Xi stated, “China is ready to strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication with North Korea, share experiences in party and state governance, and deepen mutual understanding and friendship.”

In a statement, China also noted that Kim Jong-un appreciated China’s neutral stance on the Korean Peninsula issue and emphasized that friendly relations between the two countries remain unchanged.

Kim’s visit comes at a time of shifting geopolitical alliances during U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, with new global and regional balances beginning to take shape.

Recent assessments suggest that the growing closeness between Russia and North Korea has caused unease in China, which is concerned about regional instability. This has reportedly led to some distancing between Beijing and Pyongyang.

First Visit in 6 Years:
Kim Jong-un visited Beijing to attend a military parade at Tiananmen Square, held to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. During the event, Kim met with several leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking his first participation in a multilateral gathering.

This is Kim’s first visit to China in six years. Previously, he visited Beijing four times between 2018 and 2019 during unsuccessful nuclear negotiations with the U.S. to seek China’s support.

Chinese President Xi Jinping also visited North Korea in 2019, delivering a message that China would work with Pyongyang to find a political solution to the nuclear issue and support North Korea’s strategic direction, regardless of changes in the international situation.

China and North Korea renewed their 60-year Mutual Defense Treaty for another 20 years in 2021.

Nuclear Negotiations:
The Chinese government views the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as critical for regional stability and supports it. Following the collapse of the latest nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea, Beijing has repeatedly called for a return to the Six-Party Talks, which began in 2003.

The Six-Party Talks, involving South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., Russia, China, and Japan, stalled in 2008 after North Korea withdrew from the negotiations following the sixth round in 2007.

Nuclear disarmament talks initiated during Trump’s first term also ended without results. Trump and Kim first met in Singapore on June 12, 2018, agreeing to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and lasting peace.

The two leaders met again in Vietnam on February 26-27, 2019, but the summit ended abruptly without an agreement. Their last meeting took place on June 30, 2019, in the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea, where they decided to continue the nuclear negotiation process.

Working-level talks between the U.S. and North Korea in Sweden in October 2019 were cut short, with North Korea citing the Americans’ “old attitudes and behavior” as the reason.

Washington’s latest proposal in 2020 to resume nuclear disarmament talks was also rejected by Pyongyang.