Chinese vice foreign minister visiting N. Korea: KCNA

Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Sun Weidong, left, speaks to Japanese counterparts during the Japan-China security dialogue at the foreign ministry in Tokyo in this Feb. 22, 2023 file photo. Reuters-Yonhap

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong has arrived in North Korea, Pyongyang's state media reported Friday, as the two countries are marking the 75th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations this year.

A delegation of Chinese diplomats, led by Sun, arrived in the North's capital Thursday via the border city of Sinuiju, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a short dispatch.

The KCNA did not give details of his itinerary, but the visit appears to be a reciprocal trip after North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong-ho visited China in December.

Pak and Sun held high-level talks in Beijing last month to exchange views on ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the diplomatic ties in 2024.

During the visit to Pyongyang, Sun is expected to meet with ranking North Korean officials to discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation. He could also pay a courtesy call to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

China is North Korea's key ally and economic benefactor.

The North's leader has been seeking to strengthen solidarity with China and Russia vis-a-vis the strengthening of security cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan.

Meanwhile, the delegation appears to have used a land route linking the Chinese border city of Dandong and the North's Sinuiju for the latest visit instead of a flight.

Sun was greeted by officials at North Korea's foreign ministry and a Chinese minister stationed in Pyongyang on the border bridge, according to Rodong Sinmun, North Korea's main newspaper.

North Korea partially opened its border last year following years of its COVID-19-related border closure. The reclusive regime resumed the operations of flights connecting Pyongyang and Beijing in August last year, but it appears to be running them in a limited manner to bring North Korean workers abroad back home. (Yonhap)

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