Senior Chinese delegation visits North Korea for talks

China’s fourth-highest-ranked official, Wang Huning, held talks with a top official of North Korea’s governing Workers’ Party The meeting is the latest in a series of high-level exchanges between Beijing and Pyongyang following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea in June – the first in seven years – as China seeks to shore up ties with its traditional ally.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran’s China envoy vows ‘special’ Hormuz treatment for ‘friendly’ countrieslist 2 of 3China and Russia to hold annual joint naval drillslist 3 of 3China sentences former local official to death in $324m corruption caseend of list The Chinese delegation reportedly arrived on Wednesday and met Jo Yong Won, a top official in the Workers’ Party. During last month’s summit between Xi and Kim, the two leaders adopted what North Korean state media described as a “far-reaching blueprint” for strengthening “the most powerful and strategic relations”. Xi pushed for closer diplomatic, law enforcement and military cooperation with North Korea during the visit, according to Chinese state media. Though Pyongyang has drawn extremely close to Moscow in recent years, including signing a strategic defence agreement that saw thousands of North Korean troops deployed to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine, China remains North Korea’s largest economic partner. At this week’s meeting, Wang also referred to the 65th anniversary of friendship ties between the two countries, while Jo told Wang that North Korea seeks to develop strategic communication and tactical cooperation with Beijing. The two officials discussed ways to improve public welfare and deepen mutual cooperation in business and culture, as well as between the two countries’ governing parties, KCNA added, without elaborating. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, says the flurry of high-level meetings reflects a shared desire to strengthen ties.