Chinese Vice Premier to lead delegation to DPRK

China announced on Thursday that it will send a high-profile delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the second time in less than two months, a rare move which experts believe demonstrates the traditional friendship and support for each other that will inject stability into regional security, at a time when tensions have risen to an unprecedented level.

Against the backdrop of the US-led West's increasingly tough sanctions and pressure on Pyongyang, China's support, which will not be confined to moral support, will help the DPRK break its isolation in the international community, observers believe.

At the invitation of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the DPRK, Liu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will lead a party and government delegation to DPRK to attend the commemorative events for its 75th founding anniversary and visit the country, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Thursday.

Liu will be the most senior Chinese official to visit the DPRK since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The DPRK celebrates its founding day on September 9, known as the Day of the Foundation of the Republic, and this year will mark the 75th anniversary since the peninsula was freed from Japanese occupation.

Regarding the visit, Mao said at Thursday's media briefing that China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, and the two parties and countries enjoy a good tradition of friendly exchanges. Having a high-level Chinese delegation attend the commemoration and visit the country reflects our profound friendship and the high importance China attaches to our bilateral ties.

The Chinese vice premier's visit comes only one and a half months after Li Hongzhong, vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, led a Chinese Party and government delegation to the country.

The rare consecutive visits to Pyongyang by Chinese high-profile officials have highlighted China's consistent stance of friendship and support toward the DPRK in the current international context, in which the country is being isolated by and facing sanctions from Western forces. In contrast, China is willing to deepen the government-to-government and party-to-party connections between the two sides, Da Zhigang, director of the Institute of Northeast Asian Studies at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

In addition to participating in the celebration activities, the Chinese delegation is likely to discuss the resumption of normal exchanges in the post-pandemic era in areas such as transportation, trade and investment, and tourism, Da said.

Given that Liu is in charge of the health and agriculture sectors in China and the DPRK has been dealing with chronic food shortages, Liu's visit may also include the provision of food aid to alleviate its urgent needs, experts noted.

With the US, Japan, and South Korea intensifying their pressure on the DPRK, current tensions on the Korean Peninsula have reached unprecedented levels, with the recent military drills between US and South Korea, and the US deployment of a nuclear-propelled submarine and B-1B bombers, Lü Chao, an expert on the Korean Peninsula at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

China's reiteration of support for its neighbor plays an important positive role in maintaining peace and stability in the region, Lü said.

Upon the announcement of Liu's planned trip, Western media has been hyping it as "a chance to communicate" with the DPRK leader Kim Jong Un before his reported trip to Russia next week for a meeting in Vladivostok with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

White House officials have said they expect talks between Kim and Putin to focus on arms transfers from the DPRK to help the Kremlin with the conflict in Ukraine. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Pyongyang it would "pay a price" if it provided weapons, according to media reports.

However, Russia has said it has nothing to say on the matter, nor did DPRK state media mention any visit to Russia.

Such rhetoric is attempting to tie China, Russia, and the DPRK together and purposefully make the "group" into an opposing camp against the West, with the true intention of creating a new Cold War, which is completely absurd, Lü said.

While the three countries share common ground on many international issues and have ample room for consultation and cooperation, it does not imply they are forming an alliance, the expert said, urging Western countries to stop distorting facts.

"The reports about Kim traveling to Russia to discuss an arms deal were solely from US media outlets with no confirmation from either Pyongyang or Moscow. It is an attempt by the US to justify its actions to contain the DPRK and undermine Russia's military strength," Lü said.