Beijing: North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met with China’s Premier Li Qiang, underscoring Pyongyang’s commitment to enhancing relations with Beijing in line with contemporary demands, as reported by the North’s state media on Tuesday. This meeting was part of Choe’s four-day visit to China, where she also engaged in discussions with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Choe emphasized the importance of deepening the traditional partnership between North Korea and China, highlighting recent agreements between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping to boost high-level exchanges. During her discussions with Premier Li, Choe outlined North Korea’s ongoing economic initiatives, expressing hopes for China’s success under Xi’s leadership.

Premier Li affirmed that the North Korea-China relationship is advancing under the strategic guidance of Kim and Xi. He reiterated China’s commitment to fostering bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective and expressed a willingness to enhance cooperation and strategic communication with Pyongyang for mutual benefit.

Choe’s departure for Pyongyang was noted on Tuesday morning, with a chartered North Korean flight leaving Beijing Capital International Airport. Her visit, which included a meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, was her first since assuming office in June 2022.

Choe’s trip came ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea, potentially aiming to coordinate with China on upcoming summits between Xi, South Korea’s President Lee Jae Myung, and former U.S. President Trump. South Korea’s unification ministry indicated that discussions might have covered North Korea’s preference to exclude denuclearization from Xi’s summit statements.

The ministry official suggested that Choe’s visit was unlikely to have arranged Xi’s attendance at North Korea’s military parade on October 10, marking the ruling party’s founding. Historically, China’s top leader has not visited North Korea for this anniversary, and another summit is improbable following the recent Beijing meeting.