SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea confirmed on Friday that it was receiving a visit from a Chinese government delegation led by Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong, as part of its continued efforts to strengthen relationships with Beijing and Moscow in the face of increasing tensions with Washington. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported that Sun’s delegation arrived in Pyongyang after crossing the land border between the countries, but did not give further details about the visit. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been working to increase the visibility of the partnership with China and Russia as part of his efforts to overcome diplomatic isolation and reinforce his position in the region by forming a united front against the United States.
Kim’s visit to Russia’s Far East in September for a rare summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen as part of these efforts, and there is speculation that he is also seeking a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
While Kim has focused on strengthening his ties with Russia, there have also been significant gestures of goodwill towards China. This includes inviting senior Chinese officials to major state events and expressing the intention to enhance bilateral relations. Vice Premier Liu Guozhong led a Chinese delegation that attended the celebrations for North Korea’s 75th founding anniversary last September, shortly before Kim’s trip to Russia. In July, Kim invited Chinese ruling party official Li Hongzhong and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to a major military parade in Pyongyang, where he unveiled his most powerful, potentially nuclear-capable missiles targeting the United States, South Korea and Japan. Sun had a meeting with North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho in Beijing last month, during which they discussed strengthening bilateral ties and coordinating on unspecified “issues of common interest.” Pak also met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and they pledged to expand friendly exchanges and strengthen “strategic cooperation” in 2024, as both countries mark the 75th anniversary of establishing bilateral ties. Sun’s visit to North Korea coincides with U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan’s planned talks with Wang in Bangkok this week, as part of the latest high-level discussions between Washington and Beijing amid tensions over trade, technology and China’s assertive foreign policy in the region.
As North Korea’s main ally and economic lifeline, China is a crucial partner for Kim’s efforts to revive an economy that has been crippled by decades of mismanagement and U.S.-led sanctions over the country’s nuclear weapons and missile program, which have expanded aggressively in recent years despite limited resources.
As permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, both China and Russia have been obstructing U.S.-led efforts to further sanction North Korea for its intensified weapons testing activity in recent months, highlighting the divide deepened over Russia’s war on Ukraine. Washington and Seoul have been urging Beijing to use its economic leverage on North Korea to help persuade Kim’s government to return to nuclear disarmament negotiations, which have stalled since 2019. Trade activities between North Korea and China are gradually expanding since North Korea eased its pandemic restrictions and reopened the border last year.___Follow AP’s Asia-Pacific coverage at
