Beijing (AP) – North Korean leader Kim Jong-un The two countries said Thursday they will be visiting China for the first time in six years to attend a military parade, which will be the first time in six years since taking office in late 2011.
Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be one of the 26 foreign leaders to attend the parade in Beijing next Wednesday, according to China’s Foreign Ministry, to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II and Japan’s wartime Chinese resistance.
“I warmly welcome UN Secretary Kim Jong to China to attend the commemorative event,” Chinese Foreign Minister Hong Ray told a press conference. “Supporting, consolidating and developing the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a solid position of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government.”
DPRK refers to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea.
KCNA, the North Korean provincial news agency, said Kim will visit China at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping to attend the 80th anniversary celebration at the end of the war. They did not give any further details, such as how long he will be staying in China or whether he will hold an official meeting with XI, Putin or other leaders visiting China.
Others coming for the parade include leaders from Iran, Belarus, Serbia, Cuba, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Malaysia. Leaders of the US and other major Western European countries are not expected to attend due to differences with Putin. War in Ukraine. The parade is expected to feature some of China’s latest weapons and speeches by XI.
If Kim’s trip came true, it would be his first trip to China since 2019. Since inheriting his father’s death in December 2011, Kim has met with XI, President Putin, President Donald Trump, former South Korean president Moon Jae-in, and others, but all of them at the top of the list are bilateral meetings, and Kim has not attended multilateral events that include foreign leaders.
Overall, Kim traveled to China four times from 2018 to 2019 and met XI.
China has long been North Korea’s biggest trading partner and main aid provider, but there have been doubts about its relationship in recent years. North Korea has focused on expansion Cooperation with Russia by Military supply Ammunition that supports the war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military aid.
However, many observers say North Korea is expected to take steps to improve relations with China to revive the problematic economy, as there are restrictions on what North Korea can get from Russia. In 2023, Chinese data showed that around 97% of North Korea’s foreign trade came from China, with 1.2% in Russia.
Kim’s visit to China could also be linked to efforts to resume diplomacy with Trump, who repeatedly emphasized his relationship with Kim and expressed his hopes of resuming talks. North Korea has previously rejected Trump’s outreach, but many analysts say North Korea will return to talks if they believe the US will make bigger concessions.
“We are a great place to go,” said Leif-Eric Easley, professor of international studies at EWHA Womens University in Seoul.
“To invite Trump again from his position of strength, Kim is trying to repair his relationship with XI, and attending the Beijing parade is a very prominent way to do that,” Easley said.
During his meeting with Lee in Washington this week, Trump spoke about his past summits with Kim, including those found in South Korea’s unarmed regions. Responding to a question about whether he would return to the unarmed zone, Trump told reporters, “I loved it. Remember when I walked across the line and everyone was hooked.”
During Trump’s first term, he met Kim three times since 2018-19, but their high stakes summit ultimately collapsed in contesting US-led sanctions against North Korea. Kim has been in charge ever since. Weapon Test To modernize and expand his nuclear weapons.
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Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea.
