China's top diplomat to visit North Korea this week

Email: online@newsofbahrain.com

Seoul: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will travel to North Korea on Thursday, for a two-day visit at the invitation of the North Korean foreign ministry. This marks Wang’s first trip to Pyongyang since September 2019 and signals a significant deepening of bilateral engagement between the two traditional allies.

The visit follows several months of high-level exchanges and the recent restoration of critical logistics links. Just last week, Air China resumed direct passenger flights to Pyongyang after a six-year hiatus, following the restart of passenger train services across the border in March. 

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated that the trip aims to implement the ‘common understandings’ reached between President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, further advancing traditional friendship and strategic communication.

Diplomatic observers are monitoring the visit closely as it occurs ahead of a high-stakes U.S.-China summit scheduled for next month. The discussions in Pyongyang are expected to cover regional stability and the ‘post-war order’ following recent conflicts in the Middle East. 

The trip underscores Beijing’s commitment to its ‘unswerving strategic policy’ of developing ties with the DPRK, even as Pyongyang maintains a notable silence on other international developments, including recent leadership changes in Iran.

Photo Credits: AFP - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi