North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has expressed support for China’s vision of a “multipolar world” and called for stronger bilateral ties with Beijing during a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, state media reported on Saturday (Apr 11).
During talks held on Friday, Kim said North Korea would fully back China’s efforts to uphold its “one-China principle”, reiterating Beijing’s stance that Taiwan is an inseparable part of its territory, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
He also outlined Pyongyang’s position on unspecified regional and global issues described as matters of “mutual concern”, adding that closer cooperation between the two countries is increasingly important amid the current geopolitical landscape.
Wang Yi, who is on a two-day visit to North Korea, said bilateral relations were entering a “new phase” following last year’s summit between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“In the face of a turbulent and complex international situation, China and North Korea should further strengthen communication and coordination on major international and regional affairs,” Wang said, according to China’s foreign ministry.
He also expressed Beijing’s willingness to expand exchanges and deepen practical cooperation with Pyongyang.
Kim has increasingly aligned his foreign policy rhetoric with the idea of a “new Cold War” and a “multipolarised world”, seeking to break international isolation by strengthening ties with countries opposed to US influence.
While Russia has become North Korea’s closest strategic partner in recent years, including military cooperation linked to the war in Ukraine, China remains Pyongyang’s traditional ally and key economic lifeline.
Kim previously appeared alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a World War II commemorative event in Beijing and held his first summit with Xi in six years, signalling a coordinated front against Washington.
North Korea and China have also recently resumed direct flight and train services, which were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wang’s visit marks his first trip to Pyongyang in seven years. He also met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui to discuss expanded cooperation and international issues, according to state media reports from both sides.
Neither side disclosed whether discussions included the United States or the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The visit comes ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in May, a summit some analysts believe could open diplomatic space on North Korea.
Pyongyang has cut off meaningful dialogue with Washington and Seoul since the collapse of nuclear talks with Trump in 2019 and has since taken a more hardline stance, describing South Korea as its “most hostile” adversary while rejecting US denuclearisation demands.
