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North Korea, China Agree to Cooperate 04/10 06:11
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The foreign ministers of North Korea and China
agreed to further deepen cooperation and exchanges between their countries and
had an "in-depth exchange" on international issues, the countries' state media
outlets reported Friday.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi flew to Pyongyang on Thursday in his first
visit to North Korea in seven years.
China's Xinhua news agency said Wang and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe
Son Hui discussed current international and regional issues at their meeting
Thursday but didn't specify what those issues were. The North's official Korean
Central News Agency reported they also agreed to strengthen strategic
communication between their agencies handling foreign policy.
Neither outlet mentioned whether Choe and Wang discussed the United States
or other topics like the war in the Middle East.
Wang's trip to North Korea came before U.S. President Donald Trump travels
to Beijing for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May.
The relationship between North Korea and China has often been described as
being "as close as lips and teeth," but their ties have been questioned in
recent years. North Korea focused on expanding cooperation with Russia by
supplying troops and ammunition to support its war against Ukraine, while China
is reportedly reluctant to form an anti-West alliance with North Korea and
Russia.
But North Korea and China have been pushing to solidify their ties. Last
September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Xi held their first summit in
more than six years and pledged mutual support.
Last month, North Korea and China resumed their direct flight and passenger
train services, which had been suspended since the beginning of the COVID-19
pandemic in 2020.
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