China, North Korea FMs signal firm ties and united stance against unilateralism

The North Korean and Chinese foreign ministers pledged to strengthen ties and deepen alignment against unilateralism and hegemonism – in a potential veiled swipe at the United States – at their second meeting in Beijing within a month.

Sunday’s talks between North Korea’s Choe Son-hui and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi were held against the backdrop of a possible China-US leadership meeting in the coming weeks, and close behind China’s Victory Day parade on September 3.

“Pyongyang is willing to work closely with Beijing in multilateral cooperation to jointly oppose unilateralism and power politics, and to establish a fairer and just world order,” Choe said, according to the Chinese foreign ministry readout.

Choe was part of the delegation that accompanied North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to Beijing for the World War II 80th anniversary military parade and his first meeting with President Xi Jinping since 2019.

From his appearance alongside Xi at the parade to an extended leaders’ meeting, Kim’s high-profile visit was widely seen as a signal of the firm ties between the socialist neighbours, despite speculation of strains over Pyongyang’s deepening security links with Moscow.

  

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