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North Korean, Chinese foreign ministers reaffirm commitment to reinforcing dialogue

Published: 10 Apr. 2026, 13:17

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, third from left, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, holds talks with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, first from right, in Pyongyang. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Beijing and Pyongyang reaffirmed their commitment to reinforce strategic bilateral dialogue and cooperation based on shared ideology during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to North Korea on Thursday, according to a regime-controlled media report on Friday.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui told her Chinese counterpart Wang that Pyongyang is willing to strengthen ties with Beijing as the two nations mark the 65th anniversary of a comprehensive treaty on cooperation this year, according to the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Wang also reiterated Beijing's "unwavering intention” to develop its friendship with Pyongyang, "regardless of how the international situation changes," noting that the two nations have remained good neighbors and good comrades for the last 65 years during bilateral talks held at the Kumsusan State Guesthouse in Pyongyang.

North Korea will further deepen the bilateral friendship under the "common ideology of socialism in accordance with the aspirations and interests of the people of the two nations," Choe told Wang, according to the KCNA.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi shakes hands with North Korean counterpart Choe Sun-hui at an airport in Pyongyang on April 9, in footage carried by Korean Central TV the following day. [YONHAP]

The talks came after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to deepen bilateral ties during their summit talks in Beijing last year. Wang arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for a two-day visit upon the invitation of the North's foreign ministry.

Wang added that the North Korean people under Kim Jong-un's leadership gained "fresh successes in socialist construction" against "intensified isolation and suffocation moves of the United States and the Western forces.” The Chinese envoy also recalled that Xi and Kim held a "historic" meeting in Beijing in September of last year. He noted that the two nations have since "opened a new chapter of the friendly and cooperative relations" during his speech at a reception on Thursday.

The remarks could suggest that North Korea and China may align more closely in foreign policy, including toward Washington, as U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to visit China next month for talks with Xi.

There has been speculation that Trump could seek a meeting with Kim on the occasion of his trip to China, reviving the one-on-one diplomacy he pursued during his first presidential term.

The KCNA, however, did not provide details on whether the foreign ministers' meeting addressed issues related to Washington or Trump's trip to China.

The ministers also agreed to increase various exchanges and cooperation to mark the 65th anniversary of their Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance this year and to strengthen "strategic communication" and cooperation between their countries' foreign policy bodies.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, YONHAP [[email protected]]