North Korean leader meets Beijing Prime Minister Li Qiang
(ANSA-AFP) – SEOUL, OCTOBER 10 – North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, praising the “friendly and cooperative relations” between the two countries, while Kim oversaw celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party. State media reported it. Li’s visit came as the two neighboring countries seek to maintain close ties despite periods of tension between China and North Korea over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
Kim praised Li’s visit as “a demonstration of unconditional support and feelings of special friendship towards the Workers’ Party and the government and people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea,” as well as Beijing’s efforts to maintain “the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and China and further develop them,” state news agency KCNA reported. Li stressed that “maintaining, consolidating and developing the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries is China’s unshakable policy,” China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The celebrations came at a time when the North Korean leader has been emboldened by the war in Ukraine, securing crucial support from Russia after sending thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Moscow’s forces. Last month, Kim appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at an elaborate military parade in Beijing. (ANSA-AFP).
