SEOUL, Jan 28 (Yonhap) — North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui received Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in Pyongyang, the North’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Saturday. context where North Korea would seek to strengthen its ties with Beijing while it has increased cooperation with Russia.
Choe and Sun met on Friday, the KCNA short report said. Noting that the North and China are celebrating the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations this year, the two sides agreed to “continue to strengthen tactical cooperation and coordinate to safeguard common core interests,” said the official agency, which added that the discussions took place in “an atmosphere of camaraderie and friendship”.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (R) receives Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in Pyongyang on Friday, January 26, 2024, the North Korean Central News Agency reported the next day ( KCNA). (For use in South Korea only and redistribution prohibited)
The interview came after Choe returned from her visit to Russia this week, during which she met with President Vladimir Putin and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, to deepen bilateral ties. The North has increased military cooperation with Russia, increasing tensions with South Korea, which it considers the “main invariable enemy.”
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is seeking closer ties with China and Russia amid strengthening security cooperation between South Korea, the United States and Japan. China is the North’s closest ally and main economic supporter.
Sun’s visit to Pyongyang is seen as a reciprocal trip after North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho visited China last month. Pak and Wang Yajun, China’s ambassador to Pyongyang, were also present at Friday’s exchanges, according to KCNA. This meeting took place the day after a meeting between the deputy foreign ministers of the two countries.
Pak and Sun also “discussed issues related to the celebration of the Year of Friendship between the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) and China,” the KCNA said in another report. “They agreed to expand and develop friendly exchanges and practical cooperation between the two countries. […] They reaffirmed the importance of cooperation between the diplomatic sectors of the two countries in addressing various regional and international issues, including the situation in Northeast Asia.
(FIN)
2024-01-28 08:31:05
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