2023-09-07 02:22:10
A delegation of senior Chinese officials will visit North Korea this week to attend celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding, the official KCNA news agency said Thursday.
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Pyongyang, which celebrates the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on September 9, has already indicated that it will organize a military parade to mark the event.
A delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong “will travel to the DPRK to participate in the country’s 75th anniversary celebrations” at the invitation of the North Korean party and government, KCNA said.
Beijing has long been North Korea’s most important ally and economic benefactor, their relationship having been forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War in the 1950s.
North Korea – under international sanctions over its banned ballistic and nuclear programs – has further isolated itself from the outside world since the start of 2020, when it closed its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But after three years of isolation caused by COVID-19, there are growing signs that Pyongyang may be more flexible on border controls.
North Korea’s first international commercial flight in three years landed in Beijing last month and Pyongyang also allowed a delegation of athletes to take part in a taekwondo competition in Kazakhstan in August.
This new visit comes less than two months after high-level Chinese and Russian delegations visited Pyongyang.
In July, they attended a military parade in the North Korean capital, making them the first foreign dignitaries to come to the country in years.
The Chinese delegation was then led by the member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party Li Hongzhong. During the parade, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood between Li and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was also visiting the country.
On Monday, the White House said Kim Jong Un intended to visit Russia to discuss arms sales with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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