North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed through this summit to coordinate their two countries' development strategies at the national-strategy level and to expand substantive cooperation in areas such as trade and agriculture. As China was seen positioning North Korea as a strategic partner in countering the United States, Xi did not mention "denuclearization" during the talks.
According to Xinhua on Wednesday, Xi said at the North Korea-China summit held in Pyongyang that day, "We must adhere to the goal of benefiting the people and raise the level of substantive cooperation." He stressed, "China will more closely coordinate development strategies with North Korea and expand substantive cooperation in areas such as trade, agriculture, construction, science and technology, and health, bringing greater benefits to the peoples of both countries."
In particular, "strengthening the linkage of development strategies" is read as a determination to elevate the level of cooperation beyond simply increasing trade between the two countries, to the point of structurally linking the two nations' national development plans. To this end, the statement that "we should expand people-to-people exchanges and realize two-way travel through the complete reopening of the border and the resumption of civil aviation flights and international passenger train services" emerged, signaling that concrete implementation would follow.
Xi and Kim also met face to face last September at China's 80th Victory Day event held in Beijing, but Xi's visit to North Korea is the first in seven years, since 2019. Accompanying Xi on this visit were his wife Peng Liyuan, as well as Cai Qi, the head of the security sector and a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and director of the General Office, and Wang Yi, the head of the diplomatic sector and a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China's Central Committee and foreign minister.
Xi's last visit to North Korea, in June 2019, came four months after the breakdown of the North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. At that time, North Korea-China relations were still friendly, but from early 2020 the following year, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide, North Korea was placed in a state of physical isolation. The breakthrough for the resulting economic crisis was not Chinese support but the Russia-Ukraine war that broke out in 2022. While North Korea-China relations had grown distant, North Korea drew economically and militarily close to Russia through troop deployments.
Against this backdrop, Xi directly proposed strengthening North Korea-China military cooperation. At the talks, Xi proposed, "Let us strengthen exchanges in the fields of diplomacy, law enforcement, and the military to faithfully implement the agreements between the two countries' leaders." This was a contrast to the past, when he had been reluctant to mention military cooperation in consideration of U.S.-China relations and other factors. In fact, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun and North Korean Defense Minister No Kwang-chol attended this meeting.
What is particularly notable is that, unlike seven years ago, the North Korean nuclear issue was not raised this time. As U.S.-China hegemonic competition intensifies, it is read as a tacit acknowledgment of the nuclear weapons held by North Korea, which has emerged as a "partner in countering the United States." A contribution under Xi's name published on the front page of North Korea's Rodong Sinmun that day also contained expressions suggesting a change in North Korea-China relations. Hong Min, senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification, pointed out, "Words such as 'the Korean Peninsula issue,' 'denuclearization,' 'dialogue and negotiation,' and 'North Korea-U.S.' that appeared in the contribution seven years ago do not appear at all, while instead 'strategic coordination,' 'community of destiny,' 'opposition to hegemonism,' and 'jointly defending the international order' are mentioned." He continued, "It is a signal that over the seven years, China's North Korea paradigm has completely shifted from 'a mediator for North Korea-U.S. denuclearization' to 'a tightly bound strategic partner for structurally countering the United States.'"
Instead of nuclear weapons, Xi put forward "regional peace." He said, "The Asian region is a haven for regional countries such as North Korea and China," and "China and North Korea should strengthen strategic coordination and cooperation and jointly defend regional peace and development." This carried the nuance of emphasizing that Xi, who has held a string of summits this year with leaders of countries involved in the Korean Peninsula issue—including President Lee Jae-myung, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin—holds influence over the Korean Peninsula issue.
Kim responded with support for the "One China" principle. Kim stressed, "North Korea will consistently uphold the 'One China' principle and firmly support China's policies and positions in defending its core interests," and regarding North Korea-China cooperation, he said, "We will continue to consistently regard the development of North Korea-China relations as the state's most important top strategic undertaking." He also called Xi "the most respected distinguished guest of the Korean people," adding, "(Xi's) visit to Pyongyang on his first overseas trip this year shows his high regard for North Korea-China relations and friendly amity."
