Beijing (ANTARA) - Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean\nleader Kim Jong Un have commenced their high-level summit in Pyongyang\non Monday, according to Chinese media.<\/p>\n
Observers are closely monitoring whether Xi and Kim will discuss\nNorth Korea\u2019s nuclear programme, an issue that China has recently\nrefrained from criticising. Xi is conducting a two-day visit to North\nKorea until Tuesday (9\/6), marking his first visit since 2019. The\nsummit is expected to reaffirm the commitment of both China and North\nKorea to deepen strategic cooperation, following an agreement to\nstrengthen bilateral ties at the Beijing Summit in September 2025.<\/p>\n
Following a meeting between Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump\nin Beijing in mid-May, the White House stated that both leaders\nreaffirmed their shared goal regarding the denuclearisation of North\nKorea. However, China did not specifically mention the issue in its\nofficial statement. Regarding questions as to whether Beijing has\ntacitly accepted Pyongyang as a nuclear state, Chinese Foreign Ministry\nSpokesperson Lin Jian reaffirmed during a press conference on Monday\nthat China\u2019s policy regarding the Korean Peninsula prioritises\ncontinuity and stability.<\/p>\n
Xi Jinping\u2019s meeting with Kim Jong Un follows his recent discussions\nwith Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing last May. On\nSunday (7\/6), North Korean state media quoted Kim Yo Jong, the sister of\nKim Jong Un and a senior official in the ruling party, describing\nstatements from Trump and Xi regarding North Korean denuclearisation as\n\u201cfalse information.\u201d This statement suggests that Pyongyang does not\nintend to discuss its nuclear programme during the summit.<\/p>\n
Mitsuhiro Mimura, a professor at Niigata Prefecture University and an\nexpert on North Korean affairs, suggested that Trump may have requested\nXi to act as an intermediary for a potential US-North Korea summit\nwithout making denuclearisation a prerequisite. While Xi is unlikely to\nabandon China\u2019s ultimate goal of eliminating nuclear weapons from the\nKorean Peninsula, Mimura explained that Beijing\u2019s fundamental stance\nallows Washington and Pyongyang to resolve the issue themselves.<\/p>\n
In an article published Monday in the Rodong Sinmun, the official\nmouthpiece of the ruling Workers\u2019 Party of Korea (WPK), Xi stated that\nChina and North Korea must oppose hegemonism and power politics. He also\nurged North Korea to reject any schemes or actions aimed at reviving\nmilitarism and undermining regional security and stability. Xi\u2019s remarks\nappear to be directed towards the United States and Japan.<\/p>\n
Recently, Beijing has become increasingly critical of Tokyo\u2019s defence\nstrengthening policies, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, amidst\nbilateral disputes following Takaichi\u2019s comments in parliament last\nNovember regarding Taiwan. Takaichi stated that a mainland Chinese\nattack on Taiwan could be viewed as a \u201cthreat to Japan\u2019s survival,\u201d\npotentially triggering a response from the Japan Self-Defence Forces to\nsupport the United States.<\/p>\n
Upon arrival at Pyongyang airport, Kim Jong Un and his wife, Ri Sol\nJu, welcomed Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan. Following Xi\u2019s\ndisembarkation, Kim warmly shook hands with the Chinese leader,\naccording to Xinhua News Agency. North Korean children presented flowers\nto Xi and Peng, who arrived accompanied by senior diplomat Wang Yi and\nCai Qi, a top figure in the Communist Party of China.<\/p>\n
North Korean and Chinese flags were widely displayed along the main\nstreets of Pyongyang to welcome Xi Jinping. An editorial in the Rododng\nSinmun on Monday reported that North Korea will continue to move forward\nhand-in-hand with China. The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and\nMutual Assistance between China and North Korea, signed in 1961,\ncontains provisions guaranteeing military support and other assistance\nin the event of an armed attack on either nation.<\/p>\n
Relations between China and North Korea have recently improved after\na period of tension caused by North Korea\u2019s close military cooperation\nwith Russia, characterised by the deployment of North Korean troops to\nassist Moscow in the war against Ukraine. China remains North Korea\u2019s\nclosest and most influential economic ally. The two Asian nations fought\ntogether during the Korean War (1950-1953) against UN forces led by the\nUS, and have long described their relationship as one of\n\u201ccomrades-in-arms.\u201d<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/xi-jinping-and-kim-jong-un-begin-high-level-summit-in-pyongyang-1780927787", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }