SEOONYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has praised the friendly and cooperative ties with China during celebrations marking 80 years under the ruling Workers’ Party.
Kim hosted Chinese Premier Li Qiang and other foreign dignitaries for the anniversary events in the capital.
China remains North Korea’s most important ally despite occasional tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.
North Korea is expected to stage a massive military parade on Friday showcasing its latest advanced weaponry including intercontinental ballistic missiles.
South Korea’s military confirmed the North appeared to have been conducting rehearsals mobilising equipment and missiles.
A defence ministry official stated there was a high chance the parade would be held Friday night despite potential rain affecting air power displays.
The celebrations occur as Kim has been emboldened by the war in Ukraine after sending thousands of North Korean troops to support Russian forces.
Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev is attending the anniversary celebrations as deputy head of its Security Council.
Kim praised Li’s visit as showing invariable support and special friendly feeling toward North Korea’s ruling party and government.
He also lauded Beijing’s efforts to maintain traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.
Kim appeared alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin at a military parade in Beijing last month.
North Korea held mass games and art performances at May Day stadium in Pyongyang on Thursday.
Kim made a speech with high-level foreign guests including Medvedev and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief To Lam in attendance.
He declared that North Korean people now stand as powerful beings who know no insurmountable difficulties.
The celebrations follow Seoul’s suggestion that a meeting between North Korea and the United States cannot be ruled out at this year’s APEC summit.
Former US President Donald Trump met Kim three times during his first term but failed to secure a lasting nuclear agreement.
Pyongyang has since repeatedly declared itself an irreversible nuclear state.
Russia’s ruling party expressed firm support for North Korea’s measures to bolster its defence capabilities in a joint statement.
A professor at Johns Hopkins University stated Kim’s greatest concern is assuring his regime’s continued survival and international acceptance.
He noted that multi-vector diplomacy including both China and Russia makes strategic sense for North Korea. – AFP
