Xi Jinping-Kim Jong Un Emphasize Friendship, Do Not Discuss Nuclear

JAKARTA - Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reaffirmed their commitment to carry on the tradition of friendship between the two countries from generation to generation, according to Chinese state media.

Meanwhile, North Korea's report on the summit the day before did not mention Pyongyang's nuclear program.

Before concluding his two-day visit to North Korea, his first since 2019, Xi paid tribute at the China-North Korea Friendship Tower built to commemorate Chinese soldiers who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War. Xi was accompanied by Kim at the event, according to the Xinhua News Agency.

The two leaders also visited the Central Kader Training School of the ruling Korean Workers' Party and jointly planted a fir tree.

China and North Korea, which once fought together against U.S.-led United Nations forces in the Korean War, have long described their relationship as a "brotherly" one.

China's Foreign Ministry statement on Xi and Kim's meeting released on Monday also did not mention North Korea's nuclear program.

In recent times, Beijing has no longer openly criticized Pyongyang's nuclear program. However, the White House stated that Xi and US President Donald Trump reaffirmed their common goal to realize the denuclearization of North Korea in a meeting held in Beijing in mid-May.

North Korea's official news agency, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), reported that Xi and Kim agreed on Monday (8/6) to further strengthen strategic communication and expand exchanges in the framework of the 65th anniversary of the mutual assistance agreement between the two countries to "open a new chapter" in bilateral relations.

The China-North Korea Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance Agreement signed in 1961 contains provisions on the provision of immediate military and other assistance if either country is attacked by armed forces.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference on Tuesday that Beijing was ready to increase exchanges with Pyongyang in diplomacy, law enforcement, the military, and other fields.

Professor of political science from Gyeongsang National University in South Korea, Park Jong Chol, said he believed China's attitude that it wanted North Korea's denuclearization did not change and the two leaders had likely reached a new agreement on the nuclear issue.

According to Park, Xi and Kim may have agreed that China would not oppose North Korea's already produced nuclear weapons, while Pyongyang would stop further production of its nuclear arsenal. However, he stressed that these developments still needed to be monitored.

Park also said Xi's proposal for increased "military exchanges" was quite surprising.

A South Korean Unification Ministry official said this was the first time military exchanges between China and North Korea had been publicly mentioned since Kim Jong Un effectively inherited power after his father, Kim Jong Il, died in December 2011.

According to KCNA, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun was among the senior officials accompanying Xi during his visit to North Korea.

Relations between Beijing and Pyongyang have recently shown improvement after previously appearing to have frayed due to North Korea's increasingly close military cooperation with Russia, including the dispatch of North Korean troops to help Moscow in the war in Ukraine.

During his stay in Pyongyang, Xi attended a welcoming banquet and watched a performance of art with Kim Jong Un.