North Korean, Chinese leaders mark 75 years of diplomatic ties amid apparent rough patch

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the 75th anniversary of their countries' establishment of diplomatic relations on Sunday by exchanging messages that expressed hope for stronger ties.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, smiles during a visit to the O Jin-u Artillery Academy to oversee a live-fire exercise in this photo released by the North's Korean Central News Agency on Sunday. [NEWS1]

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed the 75th anniversary of their countries' establishment of diplomatic relations on Sunday by exchanging messages that expressed hope for stronger ties.

In his message to Xi, Kim said Pyongyang will “steadily strive to consolidate and develop the friendly and cooperative relations” between the two countries, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

The KCNA quoted Xi as saying that Beijing is ready to jointly promote “the stable and further advance of the socialist cause in the two countries.”

The North and China established diplomatic ties on Oct. 6, 1949, five days after then-Chinese leader Mao Zedong formally proclaimed the establishment of the People’s Republic of China as the 1927-49 Chinese Civil War drew to a close.

Chinese and North Korean officials have often described their relationship as being “as close as lips and teeth,” reflecting the large-scale military support given by Beijing to prop up Pyongyang in the 1950-53 Korean War and their shared ideological alignment during the Cold War.

Although China in the past periodically voted in favor of or abstained from blocking United Nations Security Council resolutions imposing sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, it remains the North’s main trade partner and provider of economic assistance.

However, questions linger over the two countries’ relationship in recent months as the North focuses on expanding cooperation with Russia.

Many observers say China is hesitant to form a bloc with North Korea and Russia, especially as it seeks to manage tensions with the United States while improving relations with South Korea and Japan.

Signs of Pyongyang's strained relationship with Beijing in light of its pivot to Moscow have appeared on both sides.

Hours after China reaffirmed its commitment to the “denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula” during a three-way meeting of foreign ministers from Seoul, Tokyo and Beijing on May 27, North Korea launched a military reconnaissance satellite.

A plaque commemorating Kim’s 2018 visit to the northeastern Chinese city of Dalian was removed by local authorities that same month in an apparent sign of China’s displeasure with the direction of the North’s foreign policy.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center, tours an industrial complex in North Pyongan Province in this photo released by the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the regime's ruling Workers' Party, on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to North Korea in June, when he and Kim signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that included a mutual defense clause, South Korean media reported that China had demanded the repatriation of all North Korean workers, a critical source of foreign currency for North Korea.

Multiple sources also told the JoongAng Ilbo in July that the North Korean leader instructed his diplomats in China “not to mind” Beijing.

The sources also said the North has tightened control over Chinese nationals residing in its borders by restricting their movements and limiting North Korean nationals from visiting their homes.

North Korean authorities are also extending their crackdown on external media to include Chinese content, while North Korean state media have significantly reduced airtime given over to Chinese films.

The exchange between Kim and Xi took place two days after the North Korean leader called South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol an “abnormal man” and threatened to "use all offensive forces including nuclear weapons” if South Korea attempts to use military force.

“Yoon boasted about an overwhelming military response right at the doorstep of a nuclear-armed state, which ironically raises suspicions of him being an abnormal man,” Kim said during a visit to a training base of the North's special operation units on Wednesday, according to the KCNA on Friday.

Kim’s remarks followed Yoon's speech during Tuesday's Armed Forces Day ceremony, where Yoon warned that Kim would face the “end of [his] regime” should the North attempt to use nuclear weapons.

Kim also reiterated his commitment to retaining nuclear weapons, calling North Korea a “nuclear weapons state” and claiming that it has “irreversibly secured absolute power as a nuclear power and a system and function for using it.”

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]