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North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un backed China’s push for a “multipolar world” during talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, state media reported, as Wang arrived in Pyongyang for a two-day visit ahead of other high-stakes diplomacy. State media said Kim also called for deeper ties between the longstanding allies.
In the meeting held Friday, Kim told Wang that his government would “fully support” Chinese efforts aimed at territorial integrity based on Beijing’s “one-China principle,” according to North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency. North Korea’s state media used the “one-China principle” reference to align with China’s position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of its territory.
Kim also outlined North Korea’s position on “mutual concern” issues, and he said sustained development of ties between the two countries had become more crucial in the current geopolitical environment, according to KCNA. Wang, for his part, told Kim that the relationship was entering a “new phase” following a summit last year between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media said.
Wang arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for his first visit to North Korea in seven years. State media from both countries said he earlier met with North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Sun Hui and discussed ways to facilitate further cooperation and exchanges, including holding “in-depth” talks on international issues.
The reports did not specify whether Wang’s talks with Kim covered issues involving the United States or the ongoing war in the Middle East. The absence of those details came as Wang’s visit preceded U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned trip to Beijing for a rescheduled summit with Xi Jinping in May.
The AP report said Kim has sought to move beyond international isolation by expanding ties with governments that are confronting the United States. While Russia has been Kim’s top foreign policy priority in recent years, the report said he has also deepened engagement with China, described as North Korea’s traditional main ally and economic lifeline.
The story noted that Kim traveled with Russian President Vladimir Putin to a World War II ceremony in Beijing in September, and later held his first summit with Xi in six years. It said those moves were framed by Pyongyang as part of a united front against Washington.
AP added that North Korea and China last month resumed direct flight and passenger train services after those links were suspended at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The report also said Kim has suspended all meaningful dialogue with the United States and South Korea since his diplomacy with Trump collapsed in 2019 during the American president’s first term.
In recent years, AP said, Kim has taken a hard-line stance toward South Korea, which he now defines as his “most hostile” adversary, and he has rejected U.S. offers to resume talks that would require North Korea’s denuclearization as a precondition.