China's Wang Huning meets North Korea's Jo Yong-won, discusses expanding cooperation

China's top official Wang Huning, fourth in the Communist Party hierarchy, held talks with North Korean counterpart Jo Yong-won in Pyongyang, signaling a deepening of bilateral ties on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Sino-North Korean friendship treaty. The meeting, reported by the Korean Central News Agency, focused on expanding cooperation across various sectors, including urban industry and military affairs.

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Under the direct attention and wise leadership of Comrade Kim Jong Un and Comrade Xi Jinping, the Sino-North Korean friendship relations are entering a new vitality period of their development.

The discussions between Jo Yong-won, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, and Wang Huning, chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, underscored a commitment to strengthening party-to-party exchanges and enhancing collaboration for the benefit of both nations' peoples. The visit, which included a delegation of Chinese party and government representatives, is seen as a significant step in reinforcing strategic communication and tactical cooperation between Beijing and Pyongyang.

Jo Yong-won emphasized that under the "direct attention and wise leadership" of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the friendship between the two countries is entering a new phase of vitality. Wang Huning echoed this sentiment, stressing that the commemoration of the treaty's anniversary is a key consensus between the top leaders of both parties and nations. He expressed a strong will to elevate Sino-North Korean relations to a higher level, guided by the important agreements reached during Xi Jinping's visit to Pyongyang.

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The grand commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the (friendship treaty) is an important common understanding of the top leaders of the two parties and two countries.

The delegation's itinerary included a visit to a monument honoring Chinese People's Volunteer Army martyrs, underscoring the historical context of their alliance. The presence of officials from North Korea's Ministry of Urban Management and China's Veterans Affairs Ministry hinted at specific discussions on urban industry and military-related exchanges. This visit follows closely on the heels of North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song's trip to China, indicating a sustained momentum in high-level interactions.

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We will take the important agreements achieved in the Pyongyang summit as the fundamental guideline and push the China-North Korea relations to a higher stage.