Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un have shared their intention for greater ties between their nations as the Chinese president was welcomed to North Korea in a rare state visit.
In a summit between the leaders, Xi expressed China’s willingness to expand cooperation in areas including trade, agriculture, construction, science and technology, according to China’s Ministry of National Defence.
Xi said the two countries should strengthen strategic cooperation and firmly safeguard their respective sovereignty and security interests, and put forward four proposals to develop their relationship, it said.
The Chinese leader described the two countries as being rooted in “shared ideals and beliefs” and common goals, and backed by “historical foundation, a solid political basis and strong emotional bonds”.
Kim said Xi’s visit “clearly demonstrates how unbreakable” the North Korea-China relationship is, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.
He also said consolidating a new era of friendship between the two nations was the “unchanging strategic choice” of North Korea, the report said.
Earlier on Monday, Xi received a pomp-filled welcome to Pyongyang to mark his first visit to North Korea in seven years.
The president and his wife Peng Liyuan were greeted by Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju, before travelling to Pyongyang’s main square, where a military honour guard and thousands of people staged a welcome ceremony.
Children carried balloons, and buildings surrounding the plaza were draped in the two countries’ flags, giant portraits of Kim and Xi and red-and-yellow banners.
Xi and Kim last met in Beijing in September, after viewing a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders.
Xi’s trip comes after back-to-back summits with US President Donald Trump and Putin in Beijing last month, and he is expected to travel to Washington later this year.
China has long been North Korea’s economic lifeline and main diplomatic backer, but there have been questions about their ties in recent years, with Kim prioritising cooperation with Russia.
North Korea has received economic and military assistance from Russia in return for supplying the nation with troops and weapons for combat against Ukraine.
Restoring an exclusive influence over North Korea would give Xi leverage in dealings with Trump, who has repeatedly expressed his desire to restart diplomacy with Kim, experts say.
“Implementing UN Security Council resolutions and enforcing sanctions do not appear to be priorities for China,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.
A two-way trade volume between China and North Korea last year recovered to pre-pandemic levels, and earlier this year, the countries also resumed direct flights and passenger trains, which had stalled due to Covid.
On Monday, Xi called on both sides to leverage the opportunity of these transport changes to increase people-to-people exchanges and foster mutual interaction, China’s Ministry of National Defence said.
It remains to be seen whether Kim will use his meeting with Xi to try and reengage with Washington after talks with Trump collapsed in 2019.
North Korea has insisted the US drop its demand for the nation’s denuclearisation as a precondition for further negotiations.
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