General Secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) Kim Jong Un sent a reply message to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on March 9, thanking him for his message of greetings on his reelection at the recent Ninth Congress of the WPK.
Kim described Xi’s message as “an expression of support and encouragement to me and all our Party members”, adding:
“It is the unshakable stand of our Party and the government of the Republic to continue to consolidate and develop the traditional DPRK-China friendship in conformity with the requirements of the new era and the aspirations of the peoples of the two countries.
“I believe that the cooperation between the two parties and the two countries will get closer in the future on the road of advancing the common cause of socialism.”
At time of writing, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) has also reported similar reply messages from Kim to To Lam, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and Thongloun Sisoulith, General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party.
Meanwhile, on March 12, regular passenger train services were resumed between China and the DPRK.
Reporting this, China Daily noted that on March 10, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said that China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are friendly neighbours, and that maintaining regular passenger train operations is important for making travel between the two countries more convenient.
It added that according to China State Railway Group, international passenger train services between Beijing and Pyongyang will run four times a week in both directions — on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — while services between Dandong in Liaoning province and Pyongyang will operate daily.
The Xinhua News Agency reported on the first service between Dandong and Pyongyang on March 12.
According to the report, Song Ping, a staff member with the Dandong exit-entry frontier inspection station, said authorities had introduced measures to ensure smooth clearance on the first day of operations. The inspection process for the entire train has been shortened to within 30 minutes.
Reporting the train’s arrival in Pyongyang, Xinhua said that the regular service would facilitate cross-border travel and boost economic, trade and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Regular passenger transport between China and the DPRK was suspended early in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Regular air links were restored in 2023.
The following articles were originally published by KCNA, China Daily and the Xinhua News Agency.
Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Sends Reply Message to General Secretary Xi Jinping
Pyongyang, March 10 (KCNA) — Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea, sent a reply message to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, on March 9.
The reply message said:
Respected Comrade General Secretary,
I express deep thanks to you for sending a warm congratulatory message on my reelection as the general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea at the Ninth Congress of the WPK.
The congratulatory message, sent by you after the sincere congratulations from the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China to the Ninth WPK Congress, is an expression of support and encouragement to me and all our Party members.
It is the unshakable stand of our Party and the government of the Republic to continue to consolidate and develop the traditional DPRK-China friendship in conformity with the requirements of the new era and the aspirations of the peoples of the two countries.
I believe that the cooperation between the two parties and the two countries will get closer in the future on the road of advancing the common cause of socialism.
I sincerely wish you good health and greater success in your work to strengthen the party and accelerate the building of a modern and powerful socialist country.
Beijing-Pyongyang passenger rail service to resume Thursday
March 10 (China Daily) – China will resume international passenger train services between Beijing, Dandong in Liaoning province, and Pyongyang starting on Thursday, a move expected to facilitate cross-border travel and promote bilateral economic and people-to-people exchanges, China State Railway Group said on Tuesday.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Tuesday that China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea are friendly neighbors, and that maintaining regular passenger train operations is important for making travel between the two countries more convenient.
China supports the competent authorities of both sides in strengthening communication and creating more favorable conditions for bilateral personnel exchanges, Guo said at a regular news conference on Tuesday.
According to China State Railway Group, international passenger train services between Beijing and Pyongyang will run four times a week in both directions — on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays — while services between Dandong in Liaoning province and Pyongyang will operate daily.
The Beijing-Pyongyang journey takes about 23 hours and 41 minutes. Exit and entry procedures will be handled at Dandong and Sinuiju in the DPRK.
Passenger services for the international trains will be available at Beijing, Tianjin, Shanhaiguan in Hebei province, Shenyang in Liaoning province, and Dandong on the Chinese side, and at Pyongyang and Sinuiju on the DPRK side, the railway operator said.
Tickets for the international passenger trains are already available through offline channels, though fares have not yet been announced.
For the Beijing-Pyongyang service, tickets are available at international railway ticket outlets in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanhaiguan, Shenyang and Dandong. Inquiries can be made through the International Train Ticket Office of China Travel Service Head Office (Beijing) Co Ltd at 010-65120503 or 010-65120507.
For the Dandong-Pyongyang service, tickets are available at an international ticket hall in Dandong. Its hotline is 0415-2391555.
For services departing from Pyongyang to Beijing or Dandong, tickets can be purchased at the ticket office of Pyongyang Railway Station, according to the railway operator.
International passenger train service links China, DPRK
SHENYANG, March 12 (Xinhua) — An international passenger train linking Dandong in northeast China’s Liaoning Province with Pyongyang, capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), began service on Thursday.
The train, consisting of five passenger carriages, departed from the border city of Dandong at 10 a.m. (Beijing Time) and is scheduled to arrive in Pyongyang at 6:07 p.m. local time.
At the international departure hall at Dandong railway station, train schedules, electronic screens and service counters featured displays in both Korean and Chinese.
“I’m very excited to return home by train today,” said a DPRK passenger, who bought her ticket on Wednesday after learning about the service.
Song Ping, a staff member with the Dandong exit-entry frontier inspection station, said authorities had introduced measures to ensure smooth clearance on the first day of operations. The inspection process for the entire train has been shortened to within 30 minutes, he noted.
The passenger service will operate daily in both directions. The train departing from Pyongyang leaves at 10:26 a.m. local time and is set to arrive in Dandong at 4:23 p.m. (Beijing Time).
An executive from the international department of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said this train service will serve as both a vital window for cross-border travelers and a dynamic link strengthening the friendship between these two nations.
Int’l passenger train from China to DPRK arrives in Pyongyang
PYONGYANG, March 12 (Xinhua) — An international passenger train from Dandong in northeast China’s Liaoning Province to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has just arrived in Pyongyang. Xinhua reporters witnessed the arrival at a railway station in central Pyongyang on Thursday.
China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. announced Tuesday that international passenger trains connecting China and the DPRK will begin operating in both directions on Thursday.
The services will connect Beijing and the northeastern border city of Dandong with the DPRK capital Pyongyang, helping to facilitate cross-border travel and boost economic, trade and cultural exchanges between the two countries, the Chinese railway operator said.
Trains between Beijing and Pyongyang will run four days a week, with two-way services scheduled for Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while the Dandong-Pyongyang train service will operate daily in both directions, said the Chinese railway operator.
