North Korea opens up to Chinese envoy while Beijing seeks better ‘understanding and trust’ with neighbour

China’s new ambassador Wang Yajun is the first known diplomat from any country to enter North Korea since the pandemic
Wang made a statement in Pyongyang on Monday as the US, Japan and South Korea held anti-North Korea military drills in the region

North Korea

Zhao Ziwen

Published: 6:00pm, 4 Apr 2023

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China’s new ambassador to North Korea vowed to enhance “mutual understanding and trust” between Beijing and Pyongyang amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Korean peninsula.

“We are willing to work together with our DPRK [North Korean] comrades … and enhance mutual understanding and trust between the two parties and peoples, and continuously carry forward the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK,” envoy Wang Yajun said in a statement by the Chinese embassy in Pyongyang.

Wang made the comments on Monday when presenting his credentials to the North Korean foreign ministry.

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He is a former vice-minister of China’s Communist Party International Liaison Department, which handles relations with other Communist states.

Wang was appointed to the post more than two years ago, but the Chinese foreign ministry only confirmed his arrival in Pyongyang in late March.

The new ambassador from Beijing marks the first time since the start of the pandemic that a diplomat from any country is known to have entered North Korea, which is yet to open its border to any inbound travellers because of its Covid-19 measures.

China’s new ambassador embarks on his role in Pyongyang as geopolitical tension is rising across the peninsula and East Asia.

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In the face of the rising challenge from China and North Korea, Seoul and Tokyo are rapidly reaching a rapprochement on historical disputes after South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol visited his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida in March.

Yoon’s conservative government has moved closer towards its Western allies and away from the policy of engagement with Pyongyang followed by his predecessor Moon Jae-in.

Japan and South Korea, both allies of the United States, have taken part in joint drills with the superpower more frequently than they have in years. The most recent naval drills were conducted on Monday when Wang arrived in Pyongyang.

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The US, South Korea and Japan have announced they will share military information in response to North Korea’s missile launches and nuclear threats.

North Korea showed its military power by last month test firing its largest and most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile, a Hwasong-17, that could reportedly reach the US mainland.

In May, China joined Russia in vetoing a United Nations Security Council resolution sponsored by the US to further sanction North Korea over its ballistic missile tests.

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North Korea’s economy largely depends on China, especially after the international sanctions were imposed and the country went into mass lockdown during the pandemic. China is North Korea’s largest importer and exporter, accounting for more than 90 per cent of total trade.

China’s overall exports to North Korea more than tripled in 2022 as Beijing dropped its harsh Covid-19 restrictions.

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