North Korea's premier to visit China to mark friendship treaty's 65th anniversary

North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song will make an official visit to China to mark the 65th anniversary of the signing of a friendship treaty between the two nations, Pyongyang's state media said Thursday.

A North Korean delegation, led by Pak, will travel to China to take part in an event marking the 65th anniversary of the establishment of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance at the invitation of China's Communist Party, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The two countries signed the treaty on July 11, 1961, by the North's state founder Kim Il-sung and then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, under which they are obliged to provide military and other assistance to each other if attacked.

The KCNA did not specify when the delegation will depart for China or when the event will take place. But China's foreign ministry said Pak will visit China from Friday to Sunday to attend the anniversary event, according to China's Xinhua News Agency.

North Korean leader Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping held summit talks in Pyongyang last month and vowed to strengthen bilateral ties through expanded exchanges across multiple sectors, from economy to culture, as well as more frequent high-level visits.

At that time, Xi stressed the importance of marking the anniversary, fueling speculation that the two countries would hold a large-scale event.

In socialist nations like North Korea and China, anniversaries that fall on five- or 10-year intervals carry particular significance and are typically celebrated by grand celebrations. High-level official visits and exchanges of congratulatory messages had been widely expected.

Yonhap