North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song, who is visiting China to mark the 65th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between North Korea and China, held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang to discuss expanding bilateral exchanges and cooperation, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on July 12.
The KCNA reported that the meeting between Premier Pak and Premier Li took place on July 11 at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the anniversary of the signing of the treaty. During the talks, they "discussed issues related to expanding and developing exchanges and cooperation in various fields in accordance with the agreements reached by the top leaders of the DPRK and China at their historic Pyongyang summit."
The two premiers appear to have discussed follow-up measures to the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held in Pyongyang last month.
Following President Xi's visit to North Korea—the first in seven years since 2019—the two countries reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening strategic communication and expanding cooperation through a summit and a joint statement. They agreed to expand high-level exchanges and cooperation in diverse areas, including economy, trade, agriculture, and construction.
During the meeting with Premier Li, Premier Pak emphasized that North Korea-China friendly relations have reached a new height, stating that he would "make active efforts to continuously strengthen and develop the friendship and unity between the DPRK and China by upholding the noble intentions" of the two countries' leaders.
Premier Pak also noted that the North Korea-China friendship treaty serves as a "firm political and legal guarantee that strongly drives the development of friendly and cooperative relations" between the two nations, adding that "the complex international political situation requires us to continue to highly uphold the spirit of the treaty, which centers on the unity, cooperation, and protection of the common interests of both countries."
Premier Li responded by calling the two countries "neighbors that share the same destiny and protect and help each other," adding that "it is the consistent and unwavering policy of the Chinese Party and government to excellently protect, consolidate, and develop China-DPRK relations."
Premier Li further expressed his willingness to continue upholding the spirit of the North Korea-China friendship treaty, strengthen high-level visits, and expand and develop political mutual trust and practical cooperation, thereby promoting the well-being of the two peoples and contributing actively to regional and global peaceful development, the KCNA reported.
Prior to the talks, the Chinese side held a welcoming ceremony for the North Korean delegation led by Premier Pak Thae-song at the Great Hall of the People.
During the ceremony, the national anthems of both countries were played, and Premier Pak, accompanied by Premier Li, inspected the honor guard of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, according to the KCNA.
Earlier, China's Xinhua News Agency also reported on July 11 that Premier Pak and Premier Li held talks and proposed strengthening strategic coordination, expanding economic and trade exchanges, and deepening cooperation in public welfare areas such as medical care, health, and education.
The North Korean party and government delegation led by Premier Pak is on a three-day visit to China starting July 10 to attend events marking the 65th anniversary of the treaty.
Premier Pak paid a courtesy call to President Xi on July 10, held talks with Premier Li on July 11, and also met with other top-ranking Chinese officials, including Zhao Leji, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China.
The top diplomats of North Korea and China also exchanged congratulatory messages to mark the 65th anniversary of the treaty.
The KCNA reported on July 12 that Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui sent a message to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on July 11, expressing her "willingness to further strengthen communication and cooperation between the foreign affairs sectors to develop the DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations into a model of the most powerful and strategic relations between socialist countries."
The agency also reported that Minister Wang sent a message to Foreign Minister Choe on the same day, expressing his "willingness to make unremitting efforts to resolutely implement the important common understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries and to consolidate and deepen the traditional China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations."
Previously, the leaders of the two countries also exchanged congratulatory messages on July 11, the anniversary of the treaty, and shared the intention to closely develop "strategic relations" and maintain "strategic communication."
The North Korea-China friendship treaty was signed in Beijing on July 11, 1961, by then-North Korean Premier Kim Il-sung and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.
It is considered a core foundation of North Korea-China relations as it contains an "automatic military intervention" clause, which mandates that one side provide military assistance if the other is subjected to an armed attack by an outside force.
(Photo: Provided by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yonhap News)