‘Strategic choice for both sides’: North Korea and China pledge to strengthen ties

North Korean and Chinese officials met in Beijing and pledged to further develop bilateral ties, North Korean media said on Sunday, as Pyongyang seeks to expand diplomatic contacts after the COVID-19 lockdown.

Since last week, a North Korean delegation led by Kim Sung-nam, head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, has visited regional countries that maintain close ties with Pyongyang.

At a meeting on Thursday, China’s No. 4 leader Wang Huning told Kim Jong-un that “no matter how the international situation changes, China-North Korea friendship is a strategic choice for both sides and will never waver,” KCNA said. North Korea’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanged messages earlier this year and vowed to build closer ties. KCNA said Wang conveyed Xi Jinping’s “heartfelt and warm” message to Kim during Thursday’s meeting.

North Korea has imposed strict border restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, halting the flow of goods with China and Russia, suspending diplomatic engagements with its key allies and cutting off routes for smugglers and defectors.

Some restrictions remain in place, and Pyongyang has only recently allowed more access to foreign diplomats, resumed some diplomatic contacts and increased trade with Russia and China.

KCNA reported on Sunday that Kim Jong Un held talks on Friday with Cai Qi, secretary of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

KCNA said Cai said the friendship between the two countries was “forged with blood” and would usher in a “brighter future under the strategic guidance” of Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un.

Politburo alternate member Jin Chengnan also met with Liu Jianchao, head of the Chinese Communist Party’s agency responsible for managing relations with foreign political parties.