State Visit of Chinese President to Democratic People's
Republic of Korea
Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the Central Committee
of
the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President, paid a
state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)
from June 20 to 21, at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, Chairman of
the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs
Commission of the DPRK. This was the fifth meeting between the
two leaders and Xi's first state visit to the DPRK.[1] The visit took place on
the
70th
anniversary of the establishment of China-DPRK diplomatic
ties.
 Song Tao, head of the
International Department of the CPC
Central Committee, noted at a June 17 press briefing that in
those 70 years, the two parties and countries have cooperated and
held exchanges on the fields of culture, education, science and
technology, sports and the economy. He pointed out that the CPC
and the Chinese government have stayed committed to the
China-DPRK ties since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012. The
recent meetings have permitted the exchange of
in-depth views on bilateral ties and the situation on the Korean
Peninsula and reaching a series of important consensuses, Song stated.
This
has opened a new chapter for China-DPRK relations Song said. Both
sides have agreed that it is in the interests of the two
countries and peoples to safeguard, consolidate and develop
bilateral relations, he added. It should also be remembered the
important role played by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army
fighting on the side of the DPRK during the Korean War, with some
three million Chinese people eventually serving in the war.
Today, some 200,000 Chinese tourists visit the DPRK every year,
many of them to visit battlefields of the Korean War where their
family members fought.
The DPRK's ties with China in fact go beyond the 70
years. In
his youth, Kim Il Sung, founder and President of the DPRK, was a
important leader in China's guerrilla forces fighting against the
Japanese occupation of Manchuria in the 1930s and '40s. The
Korean people were united with the Chinese in this struggle, as
Korea was also suffering terribly under Japanese occupation at
that time.
The DPRK is an important bulwark against U.S.
imperialist aims
because of its geographic location and the steadfast defence of
its sovereignty and the cause of peace and national
reunification. It is in the mutual interest of China and the DPRK
that the latter continue to play this role.
In this regard, in the recent period, China has sought
to
renew and deepen its longstanding ties with the DPRK,
particularly with respect to the role China can play in fostering
dialogue between the DPRK and the U.S. China can play an
important role at a time when the current U.S. administration is
undermining negotiations and blocking the path to the signing of
a peace agreement to formally end the Korean War and permit the
normalization of relations, including the lifting of the unjust
sanctions against the DPRK. Throughout the past year-and-a-half of
discussions and negotiations between the DPRK and U.S., China has
consistently called for dialogue to resolve differences between
the two sides, and that mutual trust be built through a
reciprocal process of action-for-action.
Song stated that China and the DPRK have agreed to
encourage
the parties concerned "to cherish the hard-won momentum of
dialogue and alleviation of tension on the peninsula, stick to
the goal of denuclearization, safeguard the peace and stability
on the peninsula, and solve the Korean Peninsula issue through
dialogue and consultation," Xinhua reported.
In a letter published in DPRK media on June 19,
President Xi
reiterated the importance China ascribes to its relations with
the DPRK and its willingness to contribute to the DPRK's efforts
to secure peace for the region. "As a good comrade and neighbour,
no matter how the international situation changes, the CPC and
the Chinese government have held and will always hold a firm
position on consolidating and developing China-DPRK relations,"
Xi wrote.
China will unswervingly support Chairman Kim in leading
the
DPRK to implement the new strategic line and focus on developing the
economy and improving people's livelihood for new and greater
achievements in the socialist construction of the DPRK, Xi
added.
"We are pleased to see that with Chairman Kim's correct
decision and the concerted efforts of all parties concerned, the
general trend of peaceful dialogue on the Korean Peninsula has
taken shape, and a political settlement to the Peninsula issue
sees a rare historical opportunity, which has been universally
recognized and anticipated by the international community," he
said.
Xi voiced China's readiness to work together with the
DPRK for
the realization of lasting peace and stability in the region,
saying, "We need to strengthen strategic communication and
promote exchanges and mutual learning, to endow our traditional
friendship with new meaning." He called on the two sides to carry
on their good tradition of high-level exchanges and plans to
further develop bilateral ties.
Both sides should enhance communication and coordination
at
all levels, and deepen inter-party communication and exchanges on
governing experience, Xi added.
Making progress in securing regional peace and
stability, the
two countries need to deepen communication and coordination, Xi
said. "It fits our respective need for development and the common
interests of our peoples to push forward the political settlement
of the Korean Peninsula issue and maintain peace and stability in
the region," he added. China will "actively contribute to
regional peace, stability, development and prosperity by
strengthening communication and coordination with the DPRK and
relevant parties to jointly push for progress in talks and
negotiations on the issue," he added.
Prior to Xi's visit to the DPRK, Xinhua published an
item that
included notable quotes from Xi regarding the situation on the
Korean Peninsula and the DPRK's peace negotiations with the
U.S.:
"China will, as always, support the amelioration of
inter-Korean relations and facilitate reconciliation and
cooperation between the two sides.
"China stands ready to work with the DPRK and relevant
parties
to play a positive and constructive role in maintaining peace and
stability and realizing denuclearization on the peninsula and
lasting peace and stability in the region.
"China supports the DPRK's continued adherence to the
direction of denuclearization on the peninsula, supports the
continuous improvement of inter-Korean relations, supports the
DPRK and the United States holding summits and achieving results,
and supports relevant parties resolving their respective
legitimate concerns through dialogue."
On June 20, President Xi was warmly welcomed to
Pyongyang by
throngs of people. He and Chairman Kim agreed "to work together
to create a bright future of inter-party and inter-state
relations at a new starting point in history," Xinhua reported.
The China-DPRK friendship is a strategic choice made by the two
sides with a long-term and overall perspective and will not waver
due to changes in the international situation, Xi said. He went
on to reiterate his prior statements regarding the importance
China accords to its relations with the DPRK and its commitment
to deepening them.
Though a small country, the principled stand of the DPRK
to
always defend its sovereignty against foreign aggression, despite
all the attempts to turn truth on its head to isolate and vilify
it as the aggressor, is a rallying point. The visit of President
Xi to the DPRK shows how it creates the possibility for others to
join with the DPRK for mutual benefit, including defending the
cause of peace that is in the interest of all humanity.
Note
1. The four prior
meetings between President Xi and Chairman Kim were all in China.
The first was in Beijing from March 25-28, 2018. The second
meeting was on May 7-8, 2018 followed by another in Beijing on June
19-20, 2018. The fourth meeting came on January 7-10 this year.
This article was published in
Volume 49 Number
23 - June 22, 2019
Article Link:
State
Visit
of Chinese President to Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Website: www.cpcml.ca
Email: editor@cpcml.ca
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