SEOUL (AP) – A top Chinese official arrived in North Korea and held talks on how to boost their cooperation, North Korea’s state media reported yesterday, in the counties’ highest-level meeting in about five years.
Zhao Leji, who is chairman of China’s National People’s Congress and considered the number three official in the ruling Communist Party, arrived in North Korea on Thursday.
Zhao met his North Korean counterpart Choe Ryong Hae on Thursday and discussed how to promote exchanges and cooperation on all areas such as politics, economy and culture, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported.
The two also exchanged views on unspecified regional and international issues of mutual concerns, KCNA said.
Zhao is one of the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party’s top leadership body headed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Zhao’s visit to North Korea marked the first bilateral exchange involving a Chinese Politburo Standing Committee member since the coronavirus pandemic started. In 2019, the two countries held two summit meetings between Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Observers say North Korea and China are expected to hold a number of exchanges this year to mark the 75th year since they established diplomatic ties.
