China hails Korean war armistice as ‘victory for peace’ as high-level team arrives in Pyongyang to mark 1953 event

Chinese delegation led by Politburo member Li Hongzhong and Russian team headed by defence chief Sergey Shoigu are in North Korea for the occasion
Choice of lower-ranked official than that for North Korea’s 70th anniversary celebrations suggests China might want to downplay alliance, analyst says

Diplomacy

Kawala XieandMinnie Chan

Published: 9:38pm, 27 Jul 2023

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China called for peace, opposition to hegemony and “bridging differences through dialogue”, as it joined North Korea in marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean war ceasefire.

Chinese state media released a series of articles commemorating the 1950-53 war as a high-level delegation from Beijing arrived in Pyongyang on Wednesday to take part in related events, in the first post-pandemic trip to North Korea by Chinese officials.

The delegation is being led by Li Hongzhong, member of the Politburo and vice-chairman of the standing committee of China’s top legislature, the National People’s Congress, both centres of power for the ruling Communist Party.

A Russian delegation led by Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu arrived in Pyongyang earlier to join in the celebrations, as North Korea looks to strengthen ties with both key partners amid heightened military activity in the region by the United States and its allies.

Kim Jong-un (centre), flanked by Li Hongzhong (right) and Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, at a performance celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Korean war armistice agreement, in Pyongyang on Thursday. Photo: EPA-EFE

In 2018, Xi sent his right-hand man Li Zhanshu, then NPC Standing Committee chairman and the third-ranking official in the Politburo Standing Committee, the party’s top decision-making body, to attend North Korea’s 70th anniversary celebrations.

The choice of the lower-ranked Li Hongzhong implied Xi might want to downplay what Beijing has called a “blood-cemented militant friendship”.

Ni Lexiong, a professor at the Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, said: “Compared with [Russian President] Putin’s decision to send Defence Minister Shoigu, the attendance of Li Hongzhong reflects the delicate relationship between China and the US, as Beijing doesn’t want to irritate Washington and both sides are trying to improve ties.”

Pyongyang staged a military rally on Thursday to mark what it calls “Victory Day”, when the armistice was signed in 1953. Both China and the former Soviet Union supported North Korea in the war against the US, South Korean and other armies under the United Nations banner, and at least 180,000 Chinese troops were killed in action.

02:57

North Korea welcomes Chinese, Russian delegates ahead of 70th Korean war anniversary

In an editorial on Wednesday, Chinese state news agency Xinhua described the armistice as a victory for peace and the people against an invasion by the “US imperialists”. It said China always advocated for peace and stability in a world where “a cold-war mentality and power politics persist”.

“The world is once again standing at the crossroads of history … The world is not peaceful, peace needs to be defended, and justice needs to be defended,” the article said.

“The Communist Party of China leads the Chinese people to always commit to safeguarding international fairness and justice, and promoting world peace and stability … We advocate bridging differences through dialogue, resolving disputes through cooperation, and resolutely oppose all forms of hegemonism and power politics.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday echoed China’s message against hegemony and imperialism, telling Li he would never forget “the brave soldiers” of China who “shed blood to bring about the victory” 70 years ago, North Korea’s official agency KCNA reported.

It said Kim visited a cemetery in Pyongyang on Wednesday to pay his respects to the Chinese soldiers killed in the Korean war, including the eldest son of then Chinese leader Mao Zedong.

Kim also held a separate meeting with Shoigu on Wednesday, and the pair inspected North Korea’s latest weapons – including Hwasong missiles and spy drones resembling the US RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles.

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The White House also released a statement commemorating the war veterans and the US-South Korea alliance.

Li’s visit comes as the US-led West ramps up pressure on China to help curb North Korea’s military ambitions.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned last week that Washington would seek closer defence alliances with Japan and South Korea if China did not use its “unique influence” to help denuclearise the Korean peninsula.

In a letter on Friday, the Group of Seven, the European Union and several other countries collectively urged China to help stop North Korea’s evasion of UN sanctions through Chinese territorial waters.

In response, the Chinese mission to the United Nations said on Monday that Beijing “strictly” implemented UN Security Council resolutions.

North Korea’s trade with the world has been largely cut off due to UN sanctions since 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, leaving China and Russia as its essential political and trade partners. Both also oppose any further sanctions on Pyongyang.

01:52

China’s Xi ‘willing to work with’ North Korean leader Kim on regional peace and stability

On Thursday, Li told Kim that China was willing to “promote the healthy and stable development of [bilateral] relations, bring happiness to the people of both countries, and make active contributions to regional peace, stability, prosperity and development”, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.

Li also handed over a letter from Xi, according to KCNA. Its contents were not reported.

Xi and Kim have a long tradition of exchanging personal letters. Xi last sent a letter to Kim in November, in response to a congratulatory message from the Korean leader for having secured a historic third term.

KCNA quoted Xi as pledging to work with Kim on regional stability in the letter, which came shortly after Pyongyang launched a flurry of missile tests in response to joint US-South Korea war games around the Korean peninsula.