Wang Huning to Lead Delegation to North Korea on 15th as High-Level Ties Continue to Warm

Diplomatic engagement between China and North Korea continues to intensify. The spokesperson for the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China announced today that Wang Huning, a member of the Political Bureau Standing Committee and Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, will lead a Chinese party and government delegation on an official friendly visit to North Korea from the 15th to the 17th.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that the visit was announced by the International Liaison Department and is at the invitation of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea).

China-North Korea diplomatic relations have been steadily warming in recent months. North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song arrived in Beijing on the 10th for a three-day visit, during which he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. Pak stated that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has instructed the development of the DPRK-China relationship into the strongest possible strategic alliance.

Kim Jong Un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, visited China in September last year to attend commemorative events marking the war of resistance, where he held talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The following month, Li Qiang led a delegation to Pyongyang. Xi Jinping recently visited Pyongyang in June, marking his first trip to North Korea in seven years, during which he and Kim agreed to expand cooperation in political, economic, and cultural fields.

On July 11, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un exchanged congratulatory messages marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of the 'China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance.' (Edited by Chou Hui-Ying) 1150714