Xi and Kim pledge deeper cooperation between China and North Korea

Chinese President Xi Jinping met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. (Xie Huanchi/Xinhua via AP) Chinese President Xi Jinping has met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a rare trip to Pyongyang. The two-day visit comes after Mr Xi hosted US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing. The two leaders have promised greater cooperation on trade, agriculture, construction and technology. Link copiedShareShare articleChinese President Xi Jinping has called for deeper cooperation during a rare visit to Pyongyang to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The two sides should strengthen exchanges "in diplomacy, law enforcement, and the military", Mr Xi said during a meeting with Mr Kim on Monday according to state media, while expressing China’s willingness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas including trade, agriculture, construction and technology. Mr Xi's trip to Pyongyang is his first since 2019 and comes after he hosted a series of world leaders, including US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, in Beijing. The Chinese president and his wife Peng Liyuan were warmly greeted at the airport by Mr Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju in a lavish welcome ceremony complete with a red-carpet military salute and cheering crowds, according to Chinese state media. Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspect the honour guard of the three services of the Korean People's Army in Pyongyang. (Ding Lin/Xinhua via AP) The visit was designed to mark the 65th anniversary of China and North Korea's friendship treaty with banners welcoming the Chinese leader and their “friendship and unity" as the two nations flags hung side by side. Mr Xi said he was willing to work together to bring the two countries' relations to "new heights" as the two-day visit got underway. "No matter how the international situation changes... the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK will not change," Mr Xi said in a readout released by Chinese state media. Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walk ahead of their wives Peng Liyuan and Ri Sol Ju during a welcome ceremony at Pyongyang airport. Jenny Town, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center and director of 38 North, told ABC's The World relations between the two nations have been at a "low period" since the pandemic. "North Korea has really spent a lot of time cultivating the relationship with Russia and really prioritising that ahead of relations with China," she said. "It's notable that this is the first overseas trip that Xi Jinping is taking this year. "There hasn't been the full restoration of trade, there hasn't been the restoration of tourism. "I think there's a real push to restore those economic lifelines that would give China a bit more leverage and a bit more stake in North Korea's foreign policy and in their strategic thinking." She said discussions between the two leaders would likely centre around shared foreign policy interests and regional affairs, including Taiwan and Japan's remilitarising, but was likely to conclude "in the absence of real discussion" on North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea's commitment to its nuclear program has been a thorn in the relationship. In this photo provided by the North Korean government, Kim Jong Un visits a new facility to produce nuclear bomb fuels at an undisclosed place in North Korea. (AP: Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service) Ms Town said North Korea had made "massive advances" in recent years and the decision to reveal a new facility right before Mr Xi's visit was a message. "This is strong messaging from North Korea to remind the Chinese that this is not what they see as a negotiation point," she said. "The Chinese have been very careful not to talk about denuclearisation in recent months and while they still are not in favour of North Korea's nuclear program, I think they're very sensitive to that messaging and to that relationship." Beijing has said it wanted to see a denuclearised Korean peninsula, but North Korea has repeatedly declared its status as a nuclear state "irreversible", particularly after Mr Kim and Mr Trump's 2019 summit collapsed over Pyongyang's weapons program and sanctions relief. Copy linkFacebookX (formerly Twitter)PromotionTop StoriesIran and Israel halt strikes after Trump warns both sides to 'stop shooting' Topic:War

Xi and Kim pledge deeper cooperation between China and North Korea

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