A delegation of senior Chinese officials will visit North Korea this week to take part in celebrations marking the 75th anniversary of the country’s founding, the official KCNA agency announced on Thursday.
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Pyongyang, which will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the proclamation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on September 9, has already announced that it will organize a military parade to mark the event.
A delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong will “visit the DPRK to take part in the country’s 75th anniversary celebrations” at the invitation of the North Korean party and government, KCNA said.
Beijing has long been North Korea’s most important ally and economic benefactor. Their relationship was cemented in the carnage of the Korean War in the 1950s.
North Korea – which is under international sanctions over its banned ballistic and nuclear programs – has isolated itself further from the outside world since early 2020, when it closed its borders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
But after three years of isolation caused by COVID-19, there are growing signs that Pyongyang may ease border controls.
North Korea’s first international commercial flight in three years landed in Beijing last month, and Pyongyang also allowed a delegation of athletes to take part in a taekwondo competition in Kazakhstan in August.
This renewed visit comes less than two months after high-level Chinese and Russian delegations visited Pyongyang.
In July, they took part in a military parade in the North Korean capital, becoming the first foreign dignitaries to visit the country in years.
The Chinese delegation was then led by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China. During the parade, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stood between Li and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who was also visiting the country.
On Monday, the White House said Kim Jong Un planned to travel to Russia to discuss arms sales with Russian President Vladimir Putin.