China and North Korea have pledged to step up multilateral coordination and push back against what they called “unilateralism, hegemony and power politics,” vowing to safeguard their shared interests and defend international “fairness and justice.”
The agreement was announced on Sunday after talks in Beijing between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son-hui, who is on a four-day visit to China at Wang’s invitation.
Wang described the international environment as “turbulent and complicated,” accusing “bullying behavior by powerful countries” of destabilising global order.
He said Beijing would deepen coordination with Pyongyang in both regional and international forums to oppose all forms of hegemony while strengthening cooperation on domestic governance and their respective “socialist causes.”
“A more equitable and just world order”
Choe echoed the message, saying North Korea was committed to working with China to “jointly resist unilateralism and power politics and promote a more equitable and just world order.”
The two sides also exchanged views on bilateral ties and regional issues, according to Beijing’s statement.
The visit marks Choe’s first solo trip to China since becoming foreign minister in June 2022 and her first face-to-face meeting with Wang. It follows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s trip earlier this month to attend China’s September 3 military parade, where he also met Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Choe’s trip comes ahead of Pyongyang’s preparations for a major military parade on October 10 to mark the 80th anniversary of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea.
China and North Korea, which established diplomatic ties 76 years ago, continue to maintain close political and economic relations. Trade between the two countries exceeded $2 billion in 2023.
