Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong visits DPRK

With 2024 having been jointly designated as the China-DPRK Friendship Year in an exchange of new year messages between the top leaders of the two countries, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong has visited the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, with arrangements for the main activities to be held in the year high on his agenda.

On January 26, he held consultations with DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho and paid a courtesy call on Alternate Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui. 

The two sides spoke highly of the achievements in the development of bilateral relations in recent years and reaffirmed that it is the unswerving position of the two parties and governments to maintain, consolidate, and develop bilateral relations. They agreed to strengthen strategic communication at all levels, deepen traditional friendship and practical cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and push forward the sustained development of China-DPRK relations. 

Earlier, on January 19, Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (IDCPC), met with DPRK Ambassador to China Ri Ryong Nam.

Liu said, General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Kim Jong Un exchanged congratulatory messages and jointly designated 2024 as the China-DPRK Friendship Year. The Chinese side is willing to work with the DPRK side to resolutely implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, and take the 75th anniversary of their establishment of diplomatic relations and the Friendship Year as an opportunity to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen strategic communication, promote mutually beneficial cooperation and the constant development of China-DPRK relations, and maintain regional peace and stability.

The relationship between the two parties plays an important leading role in the development of China-DPRK relations. The IDCPC is willing to work hand in hand with the International Department of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the DPRK Embassy in China to strengthen communication and coordination through inter-party channels and make due contributions to the development of relations between the two countries.

Ri Ryong Nam congratulated the CPC and the Chinese people on their remarkable achievements in politics, economy, culture and other fields under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. He believed that in the new year, China will achieve new and greater progress in promoting the cause of socialism through Chinese modernisation. The DPRK side firmly supports China’s struggle to safeguard its core interests involving Taiwan, Hong Kong, human rights and other areas, and is willing to work with the Chinese side to resolutely implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and two countries.

The following articles were originally published on the websites of the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the IDCPC.

Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong Visits DPRK

Jan 26 (Chinese Foreign Ministry) — On January 26, 2024, Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong held consultations with Vice Foreign Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Pak Myong Ho in Pyongyang and paid a courtesy call on Alternate Member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui. The two sides had an extensive and in-depth exchange of views on bilateral relations, international and regional situations, and other issues of mutual interest and concern in a cordial and friendly atmosphere.

The two sides spoke highly of the achievements in the development of bilateral relations in recent years and reaffirmed that it is the unswerving position of the two parties and governments to maintain, consolidate, and develop bilateral relations. The two sides agreed to follow the guidance of the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries and take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and DPRK and the China-DPRK Friendship Year as an opportunity to strengthen strategic communication at all levels, deepen traditional friendship and practical cooperation, strengthen multilateral coordination and cooperation, and push forward the sustained development of China-DPRK relations. The two sides agreed on the arrangements for major activities of the China-DPRK Friendship Year.

Chinese Ambassador to DPRK Wang Yajun attended relevant events.


Liu Jianchao Meets with Ri Ryong Nam, DPRK Ambassador to China

Jan 19 (IDCPC) — Liu Jianchao, Minister of the International Department of the CPC Central Committee (IDCPC), met here today with Ri Ryong Nam, Ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to China.

Liu said, General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Kim Jong Un exchanged congratulatory messages and jointly designated 2024 as the China-DPRK Friendship Year at the beginning of the year. The Chinese side is willing to work with the DPRK side to resolutely implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two Parties and the two countries, and take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the China-DPRK Friendship Year as an opportunity to carry forward traditional friendship, deepen strategic communication, promote mutually beneficial cooperation, promote China-DPRK relations for constant development and maintain regional peace and stability. The relationship between the two Parties plays an important leading role in the development of China-DPRK relations. The IDCPC is willing to work hand in hand with the International Department of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) of the DPRK and the DPRK Embassy in China to strengthen communication and coordination through inter-party channels and make due contributions to the development of relations between the two countries.

Ri Ryong Nam briefed on the 9th Plenary Meeting of the 8th WPK Central Committee, congratulated the CPC and the Chinese people on the remarkable achievements in politics, economy, culture and other fields under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core. He believed that in the New Year, China will achieve new and greater progress in promoting the cause of socialism through Chinese modernization. The DPRK side firmly supports China’s struggle to safeguard core interests involving Taiwan, Hong Kong, human rights and others, and is willing to work with the Chinese side to resolutely implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two Parties and the two countries, and take the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the DPRK-China Year of Friendship as an opportunity to give full play to the role of inter-party channels, so as to serve the development of relations between the two Parties and the two countries.

2024 designated as China-DPRK Friendship Year

China and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) have declared 2024 as the China-DPRK Friendship Year. The move was jointly announced in an exchange of New Year greetings messages between Chinese President Xi Jinping and DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un. The only similar exchange of new year messages reported by China’s Xinhua News Agency was one between Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In his message, Xi pointed out that China and the DPRK are friendly neighbours connected by mountains and rivers, saying that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK was forged by the older generation of leaders of the two parties and two countries, cemented in the revolutionary struggle, and continuously deepened in the course of socialist construction.

In the new era, the two sides have maintained close strategic communication, deepened practical cooperation, strengthened coordination and collaboration in multilateral international affairs, pushed forward the continuous development of China-DPRK relations, safeguarded the common interests of the two countries, and maintained regional peace and stability, Xi said, adding that it is China’s unwavering policy to maintain, consolidate and develop the long-standing friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.

In his message, Kim noted that 2024 is a significant year marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and China, saying that socialist construction in the two countries has presently entered a new stage of progress whilst the international situation is undergoing complex changes.

The unbreakable DPRK-China friendship, forged and consolidated in the struggle for socialism, will be fully displayed this year, he said.

Through the activities during the friendship year, the two parties and governments will further promote exchanges in all fields, including politics, economy and culture, further deepen the bonds of friendship and unity, and step-up cooperation in the joint efforts to safeguard regional and global peace and stability, thus writing a new chapter in DPRK-China relations, Kim added.

The Friendship Year is being held to mark the 75th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic relations. The People’s Republic of China was founded on October 1, 1949, and diplomatic relations were established with the DPRK five days later. However, the close ties between the Chinese and Korean revolutions predate their state relations. Kim Il Sung, the founding leader of the DPRK, began his revolutionary career in China as a teenager, securing vital support from Chinese comrades, and even became a cadre of the Communist Party of China. Chinese and Korean communists and patriots fought shoulder-to-shoulder until the defeat of Japanese militarism in August 1945. Then, between 1946-49, with the liberation of the northern part of the Korean peninsula, Kim Il Sung sent many thousands of Korea’s best combatants to support the liberation war in north-east China, significantly contributing to the victory of the Chinese revolution and the founding of the People’s Republic.

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Xi, Kim jointly designate 2024 as China-DPRK Friendship Year

BEIJING, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s top leader Kim Jong Un on Monday jointly designated 2024 as the China-DPRK Friendship Year and launched a series of activities.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Kim, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, made the announcement in their exchange of New Year greeting messages.

In his message, Xi pointed out that China and the DPRK are friendly neighbors connected by mountains and rivers, saying that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK was forged by the older generation of leaders of the two parties and two countries, cemented in the revolutionary struggle, and continuously deepened in the course of socialist construction.

In recent years, Xi said, the traditional friendly cooperation between China and the DPRK has entered a new historical period with joint efforts.

The two sides have maintained close strategic communication, deepened practical cooperation, strengthened coordination and collaboration in multilateral international affairs, pushed forward the continuous development of China-DPRK relations, safeguarded the common interests of the two countries, and maintained regional peace and stability, Xi added.

Under the new situation in the new era, the CPC and the Chinese government have always viewed China-DPRK relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, and it is China’s unwavering policy to maintain, consolidate and develop the long-standing friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries, Xi said.

China is ready to work with the DPRK to take the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations and the China-DPRK Friendship Year as an opportunity to carry forward the long-standing friendship, deepen strategic mutual trust, enhance exchanges and cooperation, and ensure that bilateral ties move forward with the times for greater development so as to better benefit the two peoples, and continuously make new contributions to safeguarding regional peace and stability, Xi stressed.

In his message, Kim noted that 2024 is a significant year marking the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the DPRK and China, saying that socialist construction in the two countries has at the moment entered a new stage of progress and the international situation is undergoing complex changes.

The two parties and governments have decided to designate this year as the China-DPRK Friendship Year, and further promote the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the two sides in accordance with needs of the times, which conforms to the common expectation and desire of the people of the two countries, Kim added.

The unbreakable DPRK-China friendship, forged and consolidated in the struggle for socialism, will be fully displayed this year, he said.

Through the activities during the friendship year, the two parties and governments will further promote exchanges in all fields, including politics, economy and culture, further deepen the bonds of friendship and unity, and step up cooperation in the joint efforts to safeguard regional and global peace and stability, thus writing a new chapter in DPRK-China relations, Kim said. 

Continue reading 2024 designated as China-DPRK Friendship Year

Wang Yi: China-DPRK friendship is a valuable asset for both sides

Preparations were made by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations next year, with a Beijing visit by DPRK Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho. The relations were established on October 6, 1949, just five days after the founding of the PRC. The DPRK had been founded one year earlier. 

Meeting the DPRK visitors on December 18, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a valuable asset for both sides. In recent years, this traditional friendship has been further developed in the new era under the strategic guidance and personal care of the top leaders of the two countries, he added, and continued to note that  China is willing to jointly host a series of commemorative activities for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, and to promote the sustained and steady development of China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations.

Pak said it is the unswerving position of the DPRK side to continuously develop DPRK-China relations in accordance with the lofty will of the top leaders of the two countries and the requirements of the new era. Noting that the DPRK is willing to work with China to consolidate the brotherly friendship between the two countries, he added that the DPRK will continue to strengthen multilateral coordination with China so as to safeguard common interests and regional peace and stability.

At the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s regular press conference the same day, a correspondent from South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency asked spokesperson Wang Wenbin: “The Foreign Ministry put out a readout on the meeting between China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the DPRK’s Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho this morning. Can you share more details about the meeting?”

Wang replied as follows: “This morning, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing met with Deputy Foreign Minister of the DPRK Pak Myong Ho who came to China for diplomatic consultations between the two countries.

“Foreign Minister Wang Yi noted that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK were forged and fostered personally by the older generation of leaders of the two parties and two countries, and is a valuable asset for both sides. In recent years, under the strategic guidance and personal care of the top leaders of the two parties and two countries, the China-DPRK traditional friendship has been further deepened in the new era. In a world fraught with change and instability, China and the DPRK have firmly supported and trusted each other, which demonstrates the strategic significance of China-DPRK friendship and cooperation. China always views its relations with the DPRK from a strategic height and long-term perspective. We would like to work with the DPRK to enhance communication and coordination, deepen exchanges and cooperation in various areas, jointly hold a number of events next year in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties, and advance the sustained and steady growth of China-DPRK friendship and cooperation.

“Deputy Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho noted that it is the unswerving position of the party and government of the DPRK to continue to deepen the DPRK-China relations in line with the noble will of the top leaders of the two parties and two countries as well as the requirements of the new era. The DPRK stands ready to work with China to take the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties as an opportunity to consolidate the brotherly friendship between the two countries and take the relations forward. The DPRK will continue to enhance coordination with China on multilateral affairs, safeguard the common interests of the two countries and contribute to peace and stability in the region.

“The two sides also exchanged views on issues of mutual interest.”

The following article was originally published by the Xinhua News Agency.

BEIJING, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) — Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Pak Myong Ho on Monday in Beijing.

Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK is a valuable asset for both sides.

In recent years, the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK has been further developed in the new era under the strategic guidance and personal care of the top leaders of the two countries, Wang noted.

China always views its relations with the DPRK from a strategic and long-term perspective, Wang said, adding that China stands ready to work with the DPRK to strengthen communication and coordination, and deepen exchanges and cooperation in various fields.

Wang said that China is willing to jointly host a series of commemorative activities for the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries next year, and promote the sustained and steady development of China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations.

Pak said it is the unswerving position of the DPRK side to continuously develop DPRK-China relations in accordance with the lofty will of the top leaders of the two countries and the requirements of the new era.

Noting that the DPRK is willing to work with China to consolidate the brotherly friendship between the two countries, Pak said the DPRK will continue to strengthen multilateral coordination with China to safeguard common interests and regional peace and stability. 

South Korean president visits Europe to promote US-led war drive against China

South Korea’s hard right President Yoon Suk-yeol toured a number of European countries, including Britain and France, in late November. 

Following talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the two issued the Downing Street Accord, which stated in part: “Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait is an indispensable element in the security and prosperity of the international community. Given the serious nature of the situation in the East and South China Seas, we strongly oppose any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the region.”

This drew a sharp reaction from China. At a November 24 regular press conference, spokesperson Mao Ning urged the two countries to stop making irresponsible comments on issues bearing on China’s core and major concerns.

Noting that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, Mao emphasised that the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair and brooks no interference by any external forces.

She added: “China urges relevant parties to stop making irresponsible comments on issues bearing on China’s core and major concerns and be very prudent about what they say or do.”

In a November 28 article published by the World Socialist Website (WSWS), Ben McGrath writes that the Downing Street Accord “specifically denounces North Korea and Russia as well as Hamas, while all but ignoring the genocide being committed by Israel in Gaza. However, as with all such agreements being adopted today, whether with the US or between Washington’s allies, the chief target is China.

“The ‘international order’ is that established by Washington in the post-World War II period and which is threatened by China’s economic growth. Yoon and Sunak’s claims that they are defending ‘stability’ or the ‘rule of law’ is to uphold an international order dominated by the US in which it set the rules and under which London and Seoul have pursued their own national interests.”

He further notes:

“Over the last decade, the US has responded to China’s economic rise by drastically ramping up the militarisation of the Indo-Pacific to encircle and undermine the world’s second-largest economy. British imperialism has signed up to this war drive as a means of reestablishing a military presence and expand their own influence in Asia…  

“For all their talk of the ‘rule of law’ and ‘human rights,’ both London and Seoul have demonstrated they have no concern for either in their defence of Israel and its genocidal war against the oppressed Palestinian people.”

Noting the reference to Taiwan, McGrath explains that it “is not an innocent remark, but specifically meant to challenge the ‘One China’ policy under which the vast majority of countries including the US recognise Beijing as the legitimate government of all China, including Taiwan.”

“The focus on Taiwan represents the most open and provocative attempt by Washington and its allies to goad China into a war, given that Beijing will not allow Taiwan to become a military base for imperialism or to set a precedent for carving up Chinese territory.”

He adds that: “Specific measures in the accord call for London and Seoul to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding on closer military cooperation, increasing bilateral military exercises between the two and conducting joint patrols, supposedly targeting North Korea’s attempts to avoid sanctions. This can only raise tensions in the Indo-Pacific, where patrols and military exercises on Beijing’s doorstep have become an almost daily occurrence and heighten the danger of military conflict…

“South Korea’s increased cooperation with Britain also means increased cooperation with AUKUS, the military pact that includes Australia and the US. Notably, a UK [parliamentary] Foreign Affairs Committee recommended in August that South Korea as well as Japan be invited to join parts of AUKUS, specifically the technological defence cooperation agreement, or Pillar Two of the pact. US military officials and those close to the military have similarly argued for an ‘AUKUS+2’ deal. The inclusion of South Korea or Japan in any aspect of AUKUS would be highly provocative.”

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and the World Socialist Website.

China tells ROK, Britain to stop making irresponsible comments on issues concerning China’s core interests

BEIJING, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) — China on Friday urged the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Britain to stop making irresponsible comments on issues bearing on China’s core and major concerns.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning made the remarks at a press briefing when asked to comment on contents in the Downing Street Accord signed by ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak concerning China’s Taiwan region and the South and East China Seas.

Noting Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, Mao emphasized that the Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair and brooks no interference by any external forces.

As for issues related to the South and East China Seas, neither the ROK nor the UK is a party concerned, and there has never been any problem with regard to the “freedom of navigation and overflight,” she said.

“China urges relevant parties to stop making irresponsible comments on issues bearing on China’s core and major concerns and be very prudent about what they say or do,” Mao said. 


South Korean president visits Europe to promote US-led war drive against China

Nov. 28 (wsws.org) — South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol completed a trip to Europe last Sunday with stops in the United Kingdom and France. The tour was closely bound up with the development of military alliances throughout the Indo-Pacific region and with European powers as part of the US-led war drive aimed at China.

Continue reading South Korean president visits Europe to promote US-led war drive against China

DPRK commemorates 73rd anniversary of Chinese People’s Volunteers entry into the Korean War

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) commemorated the 73rd anniversary of the entry of the Chinese People’s Volunteer (CPV) Army into the Korean War of 1950-53 on October 25.

Kang Yun Sok, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the DPRK’s Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), together with Chinese Ambassador to the DPRK Wang Yajun, and other representatives from the two countries, attended the ceremony, which was held at the Friendship Tower. Standing in central Pyongyang, directly overlooking the Chinese Embassy, the tower commemorates the Chinese martyrs who gave their lives in what is known in the DPRK as the Fatherland Liberation War and in China as the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.

Giving a high appraisal of the historical significance of the entry of the Chinese forces into the Korean front, Kang said that the party, government and people of the DPRK will never forget the heroic feats of the CPV, the outstanding sons and daughters of the Chinese people, who made tremendous sacrifices and an indelible contribution to the victory of the Fatherland Liberation War and in defence of the revolutionary causes of the two countries.

Ambassador Wang said that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK, built in person and nurtured with special care by the older generations of the Chinese and DPRK leaders, is cemented with the blood shed by the armed forces and the people of the two countries in the arduous war.

The anniversary was also marked by articles in the DPRK press. Rodong Sinmun (Workers’ Daily), the organ of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), wrote that, the precious tradition of Korea-China friendship provided in the flames of the anti-Japanese war was further consolidated into kindred ties sharing blood and destiny in the same trench during the last Fatherland Liberation War, adding:

“The heroic feats of excellent sons and daughters of the Chinese people in the three-year war against US imperialism, common enemy of the DPRK and Chinese peoples, are recorded on the shores of Lake Jangjin and River Chongchon, Height 391, and all other parts of this land.”

Citing three key Chinese martyrs, including Mao Anying, the son of Chairman Mao Zedong, by name, the paper wrote:

“The heroic feats performed by the CPV fighters in the flames of the war were a striking demonstration of the solidity and might of the DPRK-China friendship. The stories about their feats will be handed down to posterity as a brilliant record of the noble revolutionary friendship and militant comradeship between the DPRK and Chinese peoples.”

The following articles were originally published by the Xinhua News Agency and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Ceremony held in DPRK to commemorate CPV’s participation in War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea

BEIJING, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) — A ceremony to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) entering the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) to fight in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea was held on Wednesday in Pyongyang at the Friendship Tower.

Kang Yun Sok, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA), and Chinese Ambassador to the DPRK Wang Yajun, together with the representatives from the DPRK and China, attended the ceremony.

After solemnly performing national anthems of China and DPRK, wreaths were placed at the base of the Friendship Tower. Written on the ribbons of the wreaths were letters reading “Martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers will Be Immortal” and “In honor of Martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers”.

Continue reading DPRK commemorates 73rd anniversary of Chinese People’s Volunteers entry into the Korean War

China congratulates DPRK on the 75th anniversary of its founding

China’s socialist neighbour, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) celebrated its 75th founding anniversary on September 9.

Greeting the occasion, China’s leader Xi Jinping sent a warm message to his DPRK counterpart, Kim Jong Un.

Xi said that, thanks to the steadfast leadership of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the tireless efforts of the Korean people, the cause of socialist construction in the DPRK has achieved steady and new successes for 75 years.

China and the DPRK are friendly neighbours sharing mountains and rivers, the message said, adding that the traditional China-DPRK friendship, personally provided and cultivated by the leaders of the elder generation of the two parties and two countries, has struck roots deep in the mind of the two peoples and is growing stronger with the passage of time.

It is the steadfast stand of the Chinese party and government to defend, consolidate and develop the traditional China-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations with credit, no matter how the international and regional situation may change, under the great changes unprecedented in a hundred years taking place rapidly.

A Chinese party and government delegation, led by Liu Guozheng, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Vice Premier of China, visited the DPRK from September 8 to 11 to participate in the celebrations.

Kim Jong Un met with the Chinese guests on the day of their arrival. He noted that the Chinese comrades’ participation in the celebrations of the founding anniversary of the DPRK added glory to the events for marking its national day. Saying that he deeply realised through the Chinese party and government delegation’s visit to the DPRK that Comrade Xi Jinping and the Chinese party and government attach great importance to the special nature of the DPRK-China relations, he expressed thanks and high appreciation for it.

Conveying the cordial greetings of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, to Kim, Liu Guozheng extended warm congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the DPRK’s founding, made positive comments on the DPRK’s construction achievements, and wished the DPRK a prosperous future and its people a happy life with the country’s socialist cause flourishing and its development path getting wider.

China prizes the traditional China-DPRK friendship and is willing to push for the continuous consolidation and development of bilateral relations, he said.

Liu is in charge of the agriculture and health care sectors in China, and he noted that they are important undertakings for people’s livelihood, adding that China is willing to deepen exchanges and cooperation with the DPRK in these areas so as to benefit their people.

During their visit, the Chinese delegation also met with Premier Kim Tok Hun; attended a parade of paramilitary forces; visited the Friendship Tower, which honours the fallen fighters of the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War; visited the DPRK-China Friendship Thaekam Farm, which DPRK President Kim Il Sung and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai visited together in 1958; attended a grand musical performance as well as a reception and banquet; and paid respects to the statues of late DPRK leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il on Pyongyang’s Mansu Hill, as well as at the Chinese People’s Volunteers Martyrs Cemetery in Anju City.

The following reports were originally published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the Xinhua News Agency.

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Receives Greetings from President Xi Jinping

KCNA, 9 September 2023

Pyongyang, September 9 (KCNA) — Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, received a message of greeting from Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and president of the People’s Republic of China, on Sept. 9.

In the message, Xi Jinping extended heartfelt congratulations on behalf of the CPC and the Chinese government and people and on his own behalf to Kim Jong Un and to the WPK and the government and people of DPRK on the 75th birthday of the DPRK.

Thanks to the steadfast leadership of the WPK and the tireless efforts of the Korean people, the cause of socialist construction in the DPRK has achieved steady and new successes for 75 years, the message said.

Noting that in recent years General Secretary Kim Jong Un has made important achievements by guiding the Korean party and people to thoroughly implement the spirit of the Eighth WPK Congress and the plenary meetings of the Party Central Committee and channeling big efforts into the economic development and the improvement of people’s living, it expressed belief that under the leadership of the General Secretary and the WPK, the fraternal Korean people would surely accelerate the socialist cause of the DPRK and thus steadily achieve new development and put it on a new stage.

Continue reading China congratulates DPRK on the 75th anniversary of its founding

Activists demand Biden and Congress end war on Korea

In the following article, which was originally published by Workers World, Joe Piette reports on the broad-based National Mobilization to End the Korean War, that was held in Washington DC, July 27-28, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice agreement that ended three years of bitter fighting on the Korean peninsula.

Events included a press conference in front of the US Capitol, a rally in front of the White House, and a conference at George Washington University, where the keynote speaker was the renowned progressive scholar, Professor Bruce Cumings.

Joe also points out that the current US war drive against China is once again increasing the threat to the Korean people, too. “To stop this campaign,” Joe writes, “peace-loving people must organize resistance. This effort must include self-education to undermine mass media misinformation against China. Recommended reading should include The East is Still Red, by Carlos Martinez [co-editor of this website].”

July 27 was the 70th anniversary of the 1953 armistice that ended combat in the Korean War. That agreement — among the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the north, the People’s Republic of China and the United States — to suspend fighting was expected to be temporary, in anticipation of negotiations for a peace treaty after three months. The Republic of Korea (ROK) in the south was not a signatory of the truce.

Since then, however, the U.S. has stationed tens of thousands of troops in South Korea, tensions remain high, and to this day a peace agreement has never been reached.

The 70 years of U.S. (and more recently, U.N.) sanctions, isolation and military threats have denied the DPRK’s population the necessities of life, prevented the reunification of Korea and prolonged the state of war. It is time to end the Korean War and reunite Korean families, demilitarize the Korean Peninsula and reduce the risk of nuclear war in northeast Asia.

The stated goal of the Korea Peace Action Coalition organizers is to urge “President Biden and Congress to support a formal end to the Korean War. In Congress, we’re asking for the support of H.R.1369, the Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act, which calls for diplomacy with North Korea to formally end the Korean War, a comprehensive review of travel restrictions to North Korea, and the establishment of liaison offices in the U.S. and North Korea.”

End the Korean War now!

A news conference on July 27 in front of the U.S. Capitol featured a broad array of activists and organizations: Christine Ahn, Women Cross DMZ; Joy Gebhard, Divided Family Member; Rick Downes, Coalition of Families of Korean & Cold War POW/MIAs; Lt. General (Retired) Daniel P. Leaf, U.S. Air Force; Joyce Ajlouny, American Friends Service Committee; Hana Marie Kim, 30 Under 30 activist and high school student; and Barbara Lee, U.S. Congress member from California.

Following the press event, an emotional Han ceremony at the Foundry United Methodist Church gave the many participants of Korean ancestry an opportunity to express and manage the complex emotions of sorrow, resentment, grief, sadness and hope that afflict many members of families separated during the Korean War and the following seven decades of a divided Korea.

Later, a rally in front of the White House featured Echo Hyunsook Cho, Women Cross DMZ; Medea Benjamin, Code Pink; internet personality Nick Cho, “Your Korean Dad”; and other speakers. It was followed by a spirited mile-long march past the Korean War Veterans Monument to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where an interfaith vigil was held.

Continue reading Activists demand Biden and Congress end war on Korea

DPRK expresses full solidarity with China in light of US provocations

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has expressed its full solidarity with its socialist neighbour and ally after the United States recently declared its intention to provide the Chinese renegade province of Taiwan with a further 345 million dollars’ worth of weapons.

In a statement carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 4, Maeng Yong Rim, director general of the Department of Chinese Affairs in the DPRK’s Foreign Ministry, noted that the US action, “constitutes a flagrant violation of the one China principle, which the US committed itself to before the Chinese government and people, and of the spirit of the three China-US joint communiqués. It is also an interference in the internal affairs of China and a grave encroachment on China’s sovereignty and security.”

According to the DPRK official:

“While talking about the improvement of relations with China, the present US administration is clinging to the Taiwan issue, the most important core interests of China. Its intention is clear.

“It is the sinister intention of the US to turn Taiwan into an unsinkable advanced base against China and the first-line trench for carrying out its strategy for deterring China and thus secure its hegemonic position in the Asia-Pacific region.

“But the US ambition for hegemony can never work on the strength of the powerful Chinese people.”

Maeng Yong Rim went on to warn: “Independent and sovereign states in the Asia-Pacific region have the strength and will to firmly defend their sovereignty and core interests from the US high-handed and arbitrary practices.”

His statement concluded: “The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea will fully support any measure of the People’s Republic of China to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country and achieve the sacred cause of the unification of the Chinese nation.”

The following article was originally carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Maeng Yong Rim, director general of the Department of Chinese Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK, issued the following press statement on August 3:

Recently, the U.S. made public “Weapons Aid Package” for providing Taiwan with weapons worth 345 million U.S. dollars, thus driving the military tensions in the Asia-Pacific region to another ignition point of war.

In less than three years since the present U.S. administration came into power, it provided military aid to Taiwan as times as the preceding administration had done.

The U.S. is planning to provide Taiwan with military aid worth 10 billion U.S. dollars for the coming five years and emergency defense aid worth a billion U.S. dollars every year.

This constitutes a flagrant violation of the one China principle, which the U.S. committed itself before the Chinese government and people, and of the spirit of the three China-U.S. joint communiqués. It is also an interference in internal affairs of China and a grave encroachment on China’s sovereignty and security.

The U.S. says in public that it abides by the principle of one China but instigates in the rear the “independence” of Taiwan, inseparable part of China. Such shameless duality and double-dealing of the U.S. are a dangerous political and military provocation totally destroying the stability of the regional situation and an anti-peace reckless act which must be condemned by the world people.

Continue reading DPRK expresses full solidarity with China in light of US provocations

China and DPRK mark 70th anniversary of historic victory over US imperialism

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) organized a number of grand celebrations to mark the 70th anniversary of the signing of the armistice agreement, on July 27 1953, that ended just over three years of bitter fighting in the Korean War. Known as the Fatherland Liberation War in the DPRK and as the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea in China, July 27 is considered in both countries as a triumphant day when the two fledgling socialist states scored a historic victory over US imperialism and its satellite forces. 

A high-level Chinese party and government delegation, led by Li Hongzhong, a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), attended the celebrations at the invitation of the Korean side, between July 26-30.

The only other foreign delegation to participate was led by Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. The former Soviet Union provided crucial assistance to the Korean and Chinese peoples during the war, most notably through the deployment on active service in Korean skies of its air force fighter pilots.

These were the first foreign delegations to visit the DPRK since the country closed its borders as a preventive measure against the spread of the Covid-19 virus at the start of the pandemic.

Top leader of the DPRK, Kim Jong Un gave a reception for the Chinese delegation on July 28.

Repeatedly expressing gratitude to the respected Comrade Xi Jinping for having dispatched a party and government delegation to the significant celebrations of the victory common to the DPRK and China and sending his personal letter with best wishes, he extended heartfelt thanks to the Communist Party of China, the PRC government and all the Chinese people that helped the DPRK’s revolutionary war at the cost of their blood and have invariably supported the just cause of the WPK [Workers’ Party of Korea] and the people of the DPRK.

He said that the Korean people would always remember and praise the militant feats and historic contribution of the service personnel of the Chinese People’s Volunteers who provided the excellent tradition of winning victory in the staunch anti-imperialist revolutionary spirit and with the revolutionary unity while heroically fighting in the same trench with the Korean army in the most difficult period of the DPRK.

Being very rejoiced over the fact that the Chinese party and government have made world-startling achievements in the new course of comprehensively building a modern socialist country with Chinese characteristics and the international position of the PRC is growing higher with each passing day, he expressed conviction that the fraternal Chinese party and people would surely realize the Chinese nation’s dream of great prosperity under the wise leadership of Xi Jinping.

Earlier, Comrade Kim Jong Un had met the Chinese delegation just prior to a concert held in the early hours of July 27. 

There, Li Hongzhong handed Kim Jong Un the personal letter from Xi Jinping, in which the Chinese leader pointed out that 70 years ago, the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV), together with the people and army of the DPRK, achieved a great victory in resisting US aggression and aiding Korea, and forged a great friendship bound by blood. No matter how the international situation may change, it is always the unswerving policy of the CPC and the Chinese government to maintain, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations, Xi Jinping wrote.

Expressing his thanks, Kim Jong Un told Li Hongzhong that the significance of July 27, the war victory day common to the Korean and Chinese peoples, was further highlighted as they were present together to celebrate it. Noting that Xi Jinping dispatched a party and government delegation to the DPRK in the current crucial period, he said that it showed the general secretary’s will to attach great importance to the DPRK-China friendship.

Saying the Korean people will never forget the fact that the brave soldiers of the Chinese People’s Volunteers shed blood to bring about the war victory and their noble spirit and soul, though many years have passed and that generation has been replaced with a new one, he affirmed that the WPK and the DPRK government will as ever strive to further strengthen the friendship and solidarity with the fraternal Chinese people and always advance hand in hand with the Chinese people in the struggle for socialism.

Previously, on the day of their arrival, the Central Committee of the WPK and the government of the DPRK had invited the Chinese delegation to a welcome reception at which Kim Song Nam, head of the WPK’s international department, made a speech.

Referring to the fact that the CPV made a historic contribution to bringing about the war victory, an unprecedented event in history, through militant unity and comradely cooperation, he said that the Korean people would never forget the heroic feats and merits of the brave soldiers who recorded a brilliant page in the history of the great victory in the Fatherland Liberation War and the history of DPRK-China friendship.

The Korean people are rejoiced over the achievements made by the Chinese people in building a modern socialist state with Chinese characteristics in the new era, he said, expressing conviction that the Chinese nation’s dream of great prosperity will surely come true, thanks to the steadfast leadership of the Communist Party of China with General Secretary Xi Jinping as its core and the devoted efforts of the Chinese people rallied around the Party.

Replying, Li Hongzhong said that China is very rejoiced over the fact that the socialist cause of the DPRK has steadily gained momentum with each passing day through thorough implementation of the resolutions made at the 8th Congress of the WPK and the plenary meetings of the Party Central Committee. He hoped that the Korean people would continue to achieve fresh successes by promoting the cause of socialism under the leadership of the WPK headed by General Secretary Kim Jong Un.

During their stay, the Chinese delegation also attended the huge military parade held in Pyongyang’s Kim Il Sung Square, met with other senior leaders of the DPRK party and state, and visited the birthplace of the DPRK’s founding leader Kim Il Sung, the Victorious Fatherland Liberation War Museum, the Martyrs Cemetery of the Chinese People’s Volunteers, which includes the grave of Comrade Mao Zedong’s son, Mao Anying, and the Friendship Tower, which honors the fallen Chinese internationalist fighters.

In the days leading up to the anniversary, Kim Jong Un also visited the Chinese People’s Volunteers cemetery. The DPRK leader said that the noble soul and spirit of sons and daughters of the Chinese people who supported the Korean people in the sacred anti-imperialist, anti-US struggle with their heroic sacrifice, and made an important contribution to the war victory, are obviously recorded in history as a foundation and model of the DPRK-China friendship to be immortal along with the socialist ideal.

Noting that the hard-fought Fatherland Liberation War was a war of justice to defend their dignity, honor and sovereignty as well as the world peace and security and an acute political and military confrontation with the imperialist dominationist forces which was staged on behalf of the peace-loving forces and progressive humanity, he stressed that the great victory won by the peoples of the DPRK and China at the cost of their blood is invariably displaying its great vitality still now, century after century.

Also, at the end of June a remodeling of the interior of the Friendship Tower was unveiled. Speaking at the ceremony, the DPRK’s Minister of Urban Management, Im Kyong Jae, said that the  militant unity and comradely cooperation between the DPRK and Chinese peoples, displayed in the joint struggle against the US-led imperialist allied forces, set a living example of internationalism, and the historic contributions made by the officers and men of the Chinese People’s Volunteers, who rendered assistance to the just cause of the Korean people at the cost of their lives will always remain in the hearts of the peoples of the two countries. He noted that Kim Jong Un personally initiated the work for remodeling the interior of the Friendship Tower on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the war victory and gave detailed instructions on its layout, new art pieces and exhibits and guided the work for successfully completing the project.

Chinese Ambassador Wang Yajun expressed sincere thanks on behalf of the Chinese party and government to the Korean party and government and people over the fact that the interior of the Friendship Tower was excellently remodeled under the personal attention and guidance of General Secretary Kim Jong Un.

The Chinese party and government will remain unchanged in their firm stand to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the China-DPRK relations no matter how the international and regional situations may change, the ambassador said, adding that the Chinese side is willing to thoroughly adhere to the common understanding reached by the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries and thus provide the peoples of China and the DPRK with better happiness and make new and bigger contributions to the regional and global peace, stability and prosperity, together with the DPRK side.

In an article carried on China Daily, Liu Qiang, a prominent Chinese academic, wrote that fighting aggression and assisting the DPRK had been the right decision. He noted:”Some people have questioned China’s decision to aid the DPRK and resist US aggression, and have questioned whether the cost in lives was worth it. It is not difficult to answer these questions if we consider the situation at that time.

“Although it was at the request of the DPRK that China’s leadership decided to send the Chinese People’s Volunteers force to the peninsula, China also had to safeguard its own national security… As the US bombed border cities and towns on the border between China and the DPRK, it posed a threat to China’s national security, with some in the US calling for the war to be extended into China.

“Since the expansion of the war into China would have had severe consequences for the newly founded People’s Republic, Chairman Mao Zedong announced that China needed to restore peace on the Korean peninsula.”

He added: “Some people think the hostilities ended in a stalemate because after the signing of an armistice, the two sides returned to their respective pre-war positions separated by the 38th Parallel. But the fact that the ill-equipped Chinese People’s Volunteers force, who made huge sacrifice during the war, did not retreat in face of the US-led forces, which had the most advanced weapons and equipment, shows that the Chinese side was the victor in the war.”

Pointing out that, by fighting the war, China minimized the risk of a direct military attack on China at the height of the Cold War, Liu Qiang concluded:

“Some countries led by the US are hyping up the ‘China threat’ theory nowadays as part of their strategy to contain China. China is not a threat to any country, it pursues a defensive defense policy. However, should its sovereignty, national security and development interests be threatened, the spirit of the Chinese People’s Volunteers force will inspire the people to firmly defend the motherland.”

A similar tone was struck in an editorial carried by the Chinese newspaper Global Times, which noted that, prior to the 70th anniversary, “a US nuclear ballistic missile submarine visited Busan, South Korea, the first visit by a US submarine since 1981. Some US congressmen have openly claimed that this move is not only a warning to North Korea but also a deterrent against China.”

The paper observed that: “The Korean War is one of the most profound regional conflicts following World War II, and it is regarded as the ‘biggest defeat in the history of the US Army.'”

However, “some American political elites have drawn completely wrong lessons from the Korean War, using them to misguide the US’ foreign policy today, leading the country to proactively incite and provoke crises, and even wars.”

In this regard, the paper critiqued an article entitled ‘Why America forgets – and China remembers – the Korean War’, written by Mike Gallagher, Chairman of the recently established neo-McCarthyite “House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party”, and carried in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, the house journal of the US foreign policy establishment.

Global Times writes: “His arrogance and madness are comparable to that of Douglas MacArthur.” (MacArthur was the US commander in Korea, who even the US administration felt constrained to dismiss following his advocacy of the mass use of nuclear weapons not only in Korea, but also against the major cities of both China and the Soviet Union.)

Global Times issued a serious warning to the United States, writing:

“The US should never underestimate China’s determination and ability to defend its homeland. Disregarding these… lessons happens to be the prominent characteristic of current American hegemonism. The Korean War inflicted a painful price on the US, but if the US fails to learn from it, it will make even greater mistakes in the future.”

Before China decided to resist the US aggression and aid North Korea during the Korean War, it had repeatedly sent stern warnings that if US forces crossed the 38th parallel China would not sit idle. However, the US did not take it seriously, thinking that China was only making empty threats and would not take action. As a result, they were caught off guard when they encountered the Chinese People’s Volunteers Army on the battlefield. Today, a similar major misjudgment toward China is occurring in Washington. The biggest difference between now and the Korean War era is that China’s strength has greatly increased. The consequences of infringing upon China’s security interests and national sovereignty will undoubtedly be much more severe… it must be clear that if there is another strategic misjudgment this time, the price it will pay will surely be much higher than 70 years ago.”

The following articles were originally carried on the websites of the Xinhua News Agency, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), China Daily and Global Times.

Continue reading China and DPRK mark 70th anniversary of historic victory over US imperialism

Book review: IF Stone – The Hidden History of the Korean War

Written to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Korean Armistice Agreement, this book review by Carlos Martinez of IF Stone’s recently re-issued The Hidden History of the Korean War seeks to identify the lessons to be learnt from the so-called “forgotten war”, and to draw out parallels between the original Cold War in the Pacific and the New Cold War in the Pacific.

A shorter version of this review was published in the Morning Star.

The 27th of July 2023 marks 70 years since the signing of the armistice agreement at Panmunjom, finally bringing about a cessation of hostilities in a war that was extraordinarily destructive but which has been largely ignored.

As Bruce Cumings writes in his preface to I.F. Stone’s classic The Hidden History of the Korean War – first published in 1952 and recently reissued by Monthly Review Press – the Korean War is a forgotten war, “remembered mainly as an odd conflict sandwiched between the good war (World War 2) and the bad war (Vietnam).”

For those seeking to build a peaceful and prosperous future for humanity, the lessons of the Korean War must not be forgotten. Indeed re-reading The Hidden History it becomes clear that there are several crucial parallels with today’s world.

Stone’s meticulous investigation provides abundant proof that most of the key players in the US government and military actively wanted the Korean War; that it was the right war, in the right place and the right time in terms of US imperialist interests.

Top US generals have since admitted that their “police action” in Korea gave them just the excuse they needed to construct the military infrastructure of Cold War in the Pacific: a vast network of overseas bases; large-scale, long-term deployments of US troops in Korea and Japan; and the permanent stationing of nuclear warheads in the region.

The Korean War set the whole military-industrial complex in motion. It created the national security state. It was the first major test case for the Truman Doctrine of “support for democracies against authoritarian threats” and helped establish the US in its self-assumed role of global policeman. By forcing through a United Nations endorsement of its invasion, the US was able to establish its dominance of the UN-based international system.

Reading Izzy Stone’s reporting today, it’s striking the extent to which these mechanisms of Cold War still exist and are being used to wage a New Cold War. The military bases, the troop deployments, the nuclear threats that aimed to contain socialism and prevent the emergence of a multipolar world in the 1950s continue to serve the same purposes in 2023.

Stone’s book emphasises that peace was very much an option in 1950.

The Soviet Union of course wanted peace; having lost 27 million lives and sustained incredible damage to its infrastructure in the course of saving the world from Nazism, the Soviets needed space to rebuild. The People’s Republic of China also wanted peace; having only been founded in October 1949 after long years of civil war and struggle against Japanese occupation, the last thing the new state needed was to become embroiled in another war. (In the event, nearly 400,000 Chinese volunteers gave their lives fighting in Korea).

Continue reading Book review: IF Stone – The Hidden History of the Korean War

DPRK exposes chicanery of Blinken’s China visit

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has exposed the US hypocrisy and chicanery behind the recent Beijing visit of Secretary of State Antony Blinken. A commentary describing it as a “provoker’s shameful begging visit”, written by international affairs analyst Jong Yong Hak, was released by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on June 21. 

According to Jong, the Biden administration has pursued a policy aimed at controlling, opposing and isolating China from Day One. This included threatening military intervention over Taiwan, the most important of China’s core interests, while escalating regional anti-China moves through mechanisms, such as the Quad and AUKUS, and seeking to create a new military bloc with Japan and South Korea. 

However now the US says that it is calling for dialogue. In Jong’s words: “The US made the bilateral relations complicated and created problems. So if it respects the vital interests of China and stops all the hostile acts, the reason for deteriorating the bilateral ties will not exist any longer.”

According to KCNA, “the US Secretary of State flew to China to beg for the relaxation of relations, because of the extreme uneasiness that the attempt to press and restrain China may become a boomerang striking a fatal blow to the US economy and that China-US confrontation may trigger off the unprecedented military conflict which can lead to irretrievable disasters. In a word, the US state secretary’s recent junket can never be judged otherwise than a disgraceful begging trip of the provoker admitting the failure of the policy of putting pressure on China.”

The below article was originally carried by KCNA.

Jong Yong Hak, an international affairs analyst of the DPRK, made public the following article “Provoker’s Shameful Begging Visit” on June 21:

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken recently visited China, which attracted the attention of the international community.

The U.S., that had talked so often about the “theory of threat from China” and seriously threatened the main interests of China, dispatched its top diplomat to China, calling for “relaxation of relations”. This creates a lot of conjecture and comments.

The point of the foreign policy pursued by the present U.S. administration after its inauguration was to control, oppose and isolate China.

From the first day of its assumption of power, the Biden administration in the grip of repugnancy toward the Chinese government had made the pressure and control in an all-round way the point of its policy towards China, deliberately escalated the confrontation, violated the legal development and interests of the Chinese people and attempted in every way to prevent the prosperity of China.

It also described the Communist Party of China as a devil and spoke ill of the “human rights” situation in China. And even the U.S. chief executive committed serious political and military provocation without hesitation by openly suggesting U.S. forces’ “military intervention” over the Taiwan issue, the most important of China’s main interests.

It is none other than the present U.S. administration that has deliberately escalated the regional tensions while strengthening the anti-China complexes, including QUAD and AUKUS, and seeking to establish a new military bloc consisting of Japan and puppet south Korea.

But now the U.S. is talking about “communication” with China and “removal of the danger from misunderstanding and misjudgment”. It is just like a guilty party filing the suit first.

As the saying goes, “The man who made a knot should untie it”.

The U.S. made the bilateral relations complicated and created problems. So if it respects the vital interests of China and stops all the hostile acts, the reason for deteriorating the bilateral ties will not exist any longer.

It is the height of the double-dealing and impudence peculiar to the U.S. to provoke first and then talk about the so-called “responsible control over divergence of opinion”.

This time, the U.S. secretary of state flew to China to beg for the relaxation of relations, because of the extreme uneasiness that the attempt to press and restrain China may become a boomerang striking a fatal blow to the U.S. economy and that China-U.S. confrontation may trigger off the unprecedented military conflict which can lead to irretrievable disasters.

In a word, the U.S. state secretary’s recent junket can never be judged otherwise than a disgraceful begging trip of the provoker admitting the failure of the policy of putting pressure on China.

It is quite natural that China urged the U.S. to stop clamoring about the “theory of threat from China”, cancel illegal and unilateral sanctions on China, abandon suppression of China’s sci-tech development and not to interfere in the internal affairs of China at will.

If one forgets history, one will repeat the same mistake and if one fails to see reality properly, one will make a bigger mistake.

If the U.S. persists in its moves to seek hegemony and confrontation in international relations, oblivious of the lesson of history, it will never be able to escape from the fate of the loser.

US is maintaining tensions with North Korea to draw in allies against China

In this detailed and well-researched article, originally published by Truthout, Simone Chun argues that, “the US military encirclement of China threatens to escalate into an Asia-Pacific war, with the Korean Peninsula at the focal point of this dangerous path. Garrisoned with nearly 30,000 combat-ready US forces manning the astonishing 73 US military bases dotting its tiny landmass, South Korea is the most critical frontline component of US military escalation in northeast Asia.” She further notes that, “sixty percent of US naval capacity has been transferred to the Asia-Pacific region, and 400 out of 800 US worldwide military bases and 130,000 troops are now circling China.”

This, Simone observes, is a reflection of Washington’s Asia-Pacific grand strategy, which views China as the US’s top security challenge and prioritizes the maintenance of US regional hegemony through military force. From this, she highlights three important implications, namely:

  • The accelerated remilitarization of Japan;
  • The revitalization of extremist hardline North Korea policies in both Washington and Seoul;
  • The intensification and expansion of belligerent wargames targeted at China and North Korea.

Whilst hosting more than 50,000 American troops, Tokyo, she notes, has steadily laid the groundwork for its own remilitarization program by characterizing North Korea as an existential threat, and designating Beijing’s regional activities as a danger to its homeland. According to the retired Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) Admiral Tomohisa Takei, China has been the main target for Japanese rearmament, “using North Korea’s threat as cover.”

Secondly, Washington’s zero-sum stance against China obstructs its ability to craft a sensible North Korea policy. “The goal of Washington’s North Korea policy…is not to achieve rapprochement with Pyongyang or establish peace in the Korean Peninsula, but rather to nurture and even enhance the purported ‘North Korean threat’ as a pretext to rally South Korea and Japan behind its goal of containing China.” Furthermore, Washington’s policy also serves to empower the extreme right in South Korea.

Third, Washington’s anti-China stance fuels belligerent wargames targeted at China and North Korea on the Korean Peninsula. The world’s largest bilateral peacetime military drills explicitly include the rehearsed attack on and occupation of North Korea as well as the ‘decapitation’ of its leadership. She notes that, “Washington’s resolve to push its exorbitant imperial privilege by any means necessary is forcing South Korea down a risky and self-destructive path that promises little benefit for the Korean nation itself,” and continues: “The greatest threat to peace and stability in northeast Asia is the US Indo-Pacific military encirclement of China, which by design serves to escalate tensions and create a dangerous cycle of provocation and response.”

Yet, “hawkish US policies have consistently failed to garner public support in South Korea. According to a series of polls conducted in 2021, 61 percent of South Koreans support relaxing sanctions against the north and 79 percent support peace with Pyongyang, with an additional 71 percent supporting a formal end-of-war declaration between the two Koreas.” And seven in ten Americans are supportive of a summit between Biden and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Simone Chun is a researcher and activist focusing on inter-Korean relations and US foreign policy on the Korean Peninsula. She has served as an assistant professor at Suffolk University, a lecturer at Northeast University and an associate in research at Harvard University’s Korea Institute. She is on the Korea Policy Institute Board of Directors, and serves on the advisory board for CODEPINK.

The U.S. military encirclement of China threatens to escalate into an Asia-Pacific war, with the Korean Peninsula at the focal point of this dangerous path. Garrisoned with nearly 30,000 combat-ready U.S. forces manning the astonishing 73 U.S. military bases dotting its tiny landmass, South Korea is the most critical frontline component of U.S. military escalation in northeast Asia.

Since the Obama administration’s 2012 “pivot to Asia,” Washington has intensified tensions with Beijing, doubling down on a “full-scale multi-pronged new Cold War” through the Indo-Pacific Strategy pursued by both the Trump and Biden administrations. Sixty percent of U.S. naval capacity has been transferred to the Asia-Pacific region, and 400 out of 800 U.S. worldwide military bases and 130,000 troops are now circling China.

This is a reflection of Washington’s Asia-Pacific grand strategy, which views China as the U.S.’s top security challenge and prioritizes the maintenance of U.S. regional hegemony through military force by “defending the homeland, paced to the growing multi-domain threat posed by the PRC [People’s Republic of China].”

It promotes the vision of an empire with unipolar hegemonic ambitions, expanding the theater of war in northeast Asia and distributing the totality of threats facing China. Its goal is to force China’s hand by triggering and escalating a hybrid war on multiple fronts, including military, technology, economy, information and media.

This strategy is based on chaining together a regional “anti-hegemonic coalition” of U.S.-armed allies encircling China from South Korea and Japan in the north to Australia and Indonesia in the south. In spite of the significant state-level and public resistance in these nations toward U.S. pressure to choose between allegiance to Beijing and allegiance to Washington, this vision has been largely realized thanks to unrelenting U.S. coercion through successive administrations.

Three important implications of this grand strategy, which places the Korean Peninsula at the pernicious center of intensified China-U.S. competition, merit attention: 1) the accelerated remilitarization of Japan; 2) the revitalization of extremist hardline North Korea policies in both Washington and Seoul; and 3) the intensification and expansion of belligerent wargames targeted at China and North Korea.

First, Washington’s military encirclement of China strategy bolsters Japan’s military build-up program. The U.S., despite having imposed a “pacifist” constitution on Japan in the wake of WWII, has for decades aggressively pushed for Japanese rearmament as a necessary adjunct of Washington’s efforts to dominate the Asia-Pacific. Labeling Japan a “failed peace state,” Gavan McCormack points out the ironic trajectory of its transformation into “one of the world’s great military powers” as a state actively girding for war under a so-called pacifist constitution. “With US encouragement, over time Japan built formidable land, sea, and air forces, evading the constitutional proscription by calling them ‘Self-Defence’ forces (rather than Army, Navy, and so on),” McCormack writes. “Other states with good reason to know and fear Japanese militarism (Australia included) also abandoned their commitment to the idea of its permanent demilitarisation…. [Its] constitution steadily sidelined, by early 21st century Japan was one of the world’s great military powers.”

Continue reading US is maintaining tensions with North Korea to draw in allies against China

Arnold August: China’s rise is the West’s main fear

We are pleased to reproduce extracts of the November 13, 2022, edition of Press TV’s show Spotlight on the current South China Sea tensions, with Canadian author/journalist Arnold August and Teheran-based anchor/producer Kaveh Taghvai. August focused on China, the BRICS alternative non-US dollar currency as a very significant challenge to US hegemony, and the US vision for leveraging Taiwan against the People’s Republic of China, much as Ukraine is today being used as a pawn in the US/NATO war against the Russian Federation.

Videos: China encirclement and the imperialist build-up in the Pacific

On Saturday 24 September 2022, we hosted a webinar on the rising aggression of the US and its allies in the Pacific region. There were a number of excellent contributions dealing with issues including the Biden administration’s increased support for Taiwanese separatism; Western power projection in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Straits; the hysteria surrounding China’s security agreement with the Solomon Islands; the AUKUS nuclear pact; and developments in Korea and Japan. The event stream and the individual speeches are embedded below, and can be viewed directly on our YouTube channel.

Event stream: China encirclement and the imperialist build-up in the Pacific
Ken Hammond: Fearing the loss of their global hegemony, US elites are responding with desperation
Ju-Hyun Park: China encirclement not possible without imperialist national oppression of China’s neighbors
Lilian Sing: US geopolitical hostility to China is trickling down and fomenting anti-Asian hate
Sara Flounders: There’s US ruling class consensus around derailing China’s socialist development
Li Peng: The US plays the Taiwan card to undermine China’s development and obstruct reunification
Charles Xu: A “free and open Indo-Pacific” is exactly what imperialist forces have always subverted
Ben Norton: The US is developing plans to overthrow the Chinese government by military means
KJ Noh: The US is already engaged in a multi-faceted hybrid war on China
Zhong Xiangyu: Taiwanese separatism is being leveraged towards the West’s China containment strategy
Keith Bennett: A major conflict between China and the US would be a catastrophe for humanity

Xi Jinping sends message to Kim Jong Un on DPRK National Day

September 9 this year marks the 74th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), China’s socialist neighbor. Marking this occasion, Chinese leader Xi Jinping addressed a warm message to his DPRK counterpart Kim Jong Un. As a good comrade, good neighbor and good friend, Xi expressed China’s support for the further development of the DPRK’s socialist cause, noting that China-DPRK friendship has won great public support. 

The below report was first carried on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

On September 9, 2022, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory message to Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un on the 74th anniversary of DPRK National Day.

Xi Jinping pointed out that for the past 74 years, the DPRK people have closely united around the WPK and forged ahead to obtain great achievements in the socialist cause. In recent years, under the guidance of the guidelines and policies made at the 8th WPK Congress, the DPRK people have continuously made new achievements in economic development and improvement of livelihood, and succeeded in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. We are wholeheartedly happy with it as a good comrade, good neighbor and good friend. I believe that under the leadership of Comrade Chairman and the WPK, the brotherly DPRK people will surely promote the socialist cause of the DPRK to achieve new development at a new level.

Xi Jinping pointed out that China and the DPRK are linked by mountains and rivers, and the traditional friendship is long-standing and steadfast. Comrade Chairman and I have reached a series of important consensus on planning the blueprint for the development of relations between the two parties and between the two countries and enriching the connotation of the China-DPRK friendship in this era. The China-DPRK friendship has won great public support, the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have continuously been advanced, and the two sides have supported each other on issues of major concern, demonstrating the vitality of the traditional China-DPRK friendship.

Xi Jinping emphasized that changes unseen in a century are accelerating, and the world is entering a new period of turbulence and transformation. The Chinese side is ready to work with the DPRK side to maintain strategic communication, strengthen coordination and cooperation, and jointly uphold, consolidate, and develop China-DPRK relations, to bring more benefits to the two countries and the two peoples, and make contributions to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world.

The DPRK affirms its strong solidarity with China

Over the last month, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has strongly affirmed its militant alliance and strong solidarity with its socialist neighbour, the People’s Republic of China, on a number of occasions.

Following Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, which was followed by an equally provocative jaunt to south Korea, besides a statement from the DPRK Foreign Ministry, the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) sent a letter on August 9 to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), in which the US Speaker’s visit was slammed as “an unpardonable political provocation aimed to defame the authority of the CPC and disturb the successful holding of its 20th Congress.” 

The letter noted that the Asia-Pacific strategy developed by the United States since the 1950s had now been revised as an Indo-Pacific strategy, “with the main aim of checking the growth and development of socialist China and its cause of national reunification at present”, adding that, “the US has applied such stereotyped method most intensively and despicably in the moves to isolate and stifle socialism of the DPRK and China.” The WPK further stressed that the vicious anti-China moves of the US would never “break the steadfast will of 1.4 billion Chinese people to accomplish the complete reunification of the country.”

Previously, on August 1, the 95th anniversary of the founding of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), DPRK Defence Minister Ri Yong Gil greeted his Chinese counterpart, Wei Fenghe, noting that the armies of the DPRK and China, which had fought shoulder-to-shoulder in wars against both Japanese and US imperialism, were now “reliably guaranteeing the cause of socialism with arms,” adding that the Korean People’s Army, “would closely wage strategic and tactic coordinated operations with the CPLA in order to jointly guard peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the rest of the world.”

Meanwhile, on July 28, the day after the Korean people celebrate their victory in the Fatherland Liberation War against US imperialism, top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un visited the Friendship Tower to honour and pay tribute to the martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers, who had sacrificed their lives in the joint struggle waged on Korean soil. The Friendship Tower is located in a prestigious spot in the centre of the Korean capital Pyongyang, directly opposite the Chinese Embassy. Kim Jong Un stressed that, “the DPRK-China friendship, sealed in blood and further cemented in all sorts of trying ordeals of history, would be carried forward and developed generation after generation along with the dynamic advance of the socialist cause.”

The following reports were originally carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

C.C., WPK Sends Solidarity Letter to C.C., CPC

The Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) sent a solidarity letter to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on August 9 in connection with the issue of Taiwan.

The WPK Central Committee said in the letter that the public junket to Taiwan, made by an incumbent U.S. high-ranking official despite China’s strong protest and solemn warning and the universal opposition of the international community, was a serious infringement on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and an unpardonable political provocation aimed to defame the authority of the CPC and disturb the successful holding of its 20th Congress.

Noting that the Asia-Pacific security strategy, raised by the U.S. since the 1950s, has been revised as the “India-Pacific strategy” and enforced with the main aim of checking the growth and development of socialist China and its cause of national reunification at present, the letter said that it is the U.S. inveterate method of executing its policy to fabricate the root cause and mislead the international opinion before realizing its strategic scheme on the plea of controlling it and that the U.S. has applied such stereotyped method most intensively and despicably in the moves to isolate and stifle socialism of the DPRK and China.

The WPK Central Committee bitterly denounces the U.S. shameless provocation as a grave challenge to the socialist cause of China, ruthless interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and a serious threat to regional peace and stability, it said.

In the letter, the WPK Central Committee expressed full support and solidarity with all the strong, just and legitimate steps taken by the CPC and the Chinese government to resolutely repulse the U.S. arbitrariness, safeguard the territorial integrity of the state and achieve the reunification cause of the Chinese nation.

The letter stressed that any reckless and vicious anti-China offensive by the U.S. and its vassal forces would never impair the authority of the CPC, which has opened up a turning point in exploring and developing the destiny of the Chinese nation and performed great historic feats, nor break the steadfast will of 1.4 billion Chinese people to accomplish the complete reunification of the country.

Saying that the WPK Central Committee will as ever fully support the just stand and all the determinations of the CPC over the Taiwanese issue and always be with the Chinese comrades on the road for its realization, the letter expressed the conviction that the CPC would successfully hold its 20th Congress, to serve as an important milestone in a new historic journey for the great prosperity of the Chinese nation, under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping.


DPRK Minister of National Defence Sends Greetings to His Chinese Counterpart

Ri Yong Gil, minister of National Defence of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, sent a message of greeting to Wei Fenghe, state councilor and minister of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China, on the occasion of the 95th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.

The message congratulated the CPLA on winning the victory of the revolution, safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state and making excellent achievements in the struggle for building a modernized army under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with Xi Jinping as its core for the past 95 years.

Noting that the armies of the DPRK and the PRC, which fought shoulder to shoulder in the anti-Japanese and anti-U.S. wars, are reliably guaranteeing the cause of socialism with arms, the message stressed that the Korean People’s Army would closely wage strategic and tactic coordinated operations with the CPLA in order to jointly guard peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the rest of the world.

Meanwhile, a congratulatory floral basket in the name of the DPRK Ministry of National Defence was conveyed to the Ministry of National Defense of the PRC.


Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Visits Friendship Tower

Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers’ Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, visited the Friendship Tower on Thursday on the occasion of the great war victory day.

He was accompanied by Jo Yong Won, Pak Jong Chon, Ri Pyong Chol, Ri Il Hwan, Ri Yong Gil, Jong Kyong Thaek, Ri Thae Sop, Kim Song Nam, Ri Son Gwon and Choe Son Hui.

A wreath in the name of the respected Comrade Kim Jong Un was laid at the tower amid the playing of the wreath-laying music.

Also laid there were wreaths in the names of the WPK Central Committee and the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK.

Written on the ribbons of the wreaths were the letters “Martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers will always be alive”.

Kim Jong Un paid high tribute to the martyrs of the Chinese People’s Volunteers (CPV) who unsparingly shed their valuable blood in the same trenches for repulsing the imperialist aggression for the sake of the common cause.

There was a march past of the guard of honor of the Korean People’s Army.

Kim Jong Un went round the Friendship Tower together with cadres accompanied.

He stressed that the brilliant combat merits and feats of the CPV officers and men, obviously recorded in the history of the great victory in the Fatherland Liberation War, would be immortal and that the DPRK-China friendship, sealed in blood and further cemented in all sorts of trying ordeals of history, would be carried forward and developed generation after generation along with the dynamic advance of the socialist cause.

With RIMPAC, South Korea expands its military footprint

In this article, part of the Feminist Peace Initiative’s joint campaign with Foreign Policy in Focus (FPIF) against the militarization of the Asia-Pacific region, coinciding with the annual US-led RIMPAC exercises and originally published by FPIF, leading South Korean peace activist Choi Sung-hee notes that after the US, South Korea is the second largest participant in this year’s war games.

She notes that: “When RIMPAC began, the NATO summit meeting also started in Madrid. It is the first time that a South Korean president joined the NATO summit meeting. Yoon Suk-yeol, elected as the new South Korean president on May 9, has talked dangerously about the possibility of a ROK-US-Japan military alliance, which even other conservative presidents had abstained from openly talking about because of the past imperial-colony relationship between Japan and Korea. Already a NATO partner country, South Korea will likely increase its involvement in the US-led domination game against ‘enemy forces.’ Under the previous president Moon Jae-in, South Korea became the first Asian country to join the NATO cyber defense group. South Korean participation in RIMPAC risks inflaming military tension against China in the Pacific.”

“The current South Korean government”, she notes, “is strengthening trilateral coordination with the United States and Japan to put pressure on North Korea and contain China. But it would be in Seoul’s interest to reduce tensions in the region, not exacerbate them. China is the number one trading partner of South Korea, so it makes no sense for Seoul to participate in the anti-China efforts of the United States. Improving relations with North Korea—for instance by formalizing the end of the Korean War with a peace treaty—would also help to remove one of the key drivers of conflict in the region.”

On June 22, 2022, 20 civic groups held a “No RIMPAC!” press conference in front of the Jeju Naval Base in Gangjeong Village, Jeju Island, South Korea. Beginning with the words “Aloha ʻĀina,” the press conference expressed solidarity with the people and all living beings in and off Hawai’i and southern California. It also demanded “peace practice, not war drills” and closure of the Jeju Naval Base.

In Hawaiian, “Aloha ʻĀina” means love and care of the land and sea. Many friends from Hawai’i have visited Gangjeong in solidarity for peace during the last few years. One of them was Pua’ena, who urgently appealed to people in Jeju not to let the warships in Jeju head for Hawai’i during the current RIMPAC (Rim of the Pacific) exercises, the biggest U.S.-led multinational maritime war drill, which is held every two years.

Continue reading With RIMPAC, South Korea expands its military footprint

Steady development of relations between socialist neighbors, China and DPRK

July 11 marked the 61st anniversary of the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. Signed in Beijing by Premier Zhou Enlai and President Kim Il Sung, the treaty is still in force. It is China’s only formal alliance with any country.

Marking the occasion the leading newspapers of the Communist Party of China and the Workers’ Party of Korea, Renmin Ribao (People’s Daily) and Rodong Sinmum (Workers’ Daily) both carried authoritative articles.

According to People’s Daily: “The China-DPRK friendship, personally provided by the leaders of elder generation of the two countries in the struggle against the imperialists’ aggression, is a precious wealth common to both sides.

“China, as a good comrade and neighbor, will as ever continue to support the DPRK developing the economy, improving the people’s living standard and accelerating socialist construction. And it heartily wishes the fraternal Korean people greater successes on the road of achieving the prosperity of the country and creating happiness.

“No matter how the international and regional situation may change, invariable are the firm stand of the Chinese party and government to reliably defend the China-DPRK relations and consolidate and develop them on good terms, the Chinese people’s feelings of friendship toward the Korean people and the support of China to socialist Korea.”

Roding Sinmun noted that the treaty had served as “a motive force accelerating the struggle of the Korean and Chinese peoples for socialism” and continued:

“Our people sincerely hope that everything will go well in China and successes will be registered in socialist construction of China.

“We will as ever extend full support and solidarity to all the measures taken by the Chinese party and government to defend the core interests of the country, preserve the development of the state and defend the life and security of the people, and will always be with the Chinese people on the road of further developing the bilateral relations of friendship with socialism as the core.”

The following reports were originally carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Chinese Paper on China-DPRK Friendship

The Chinese People’s Daily carried its commentator’s article on July 11, the 61st anniversary of the conclusion of the DPRK-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.

Continue reading Steady development of relations between socialist neighbors, China and DPRK

Book: Immortal history of DPRK-PRC friendship

Marking the 110th birth anniversary of Comrade Kim Il Sung, the founding leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), which fell on April 15 2022, the DPRK’s Foreign Languages Publishing House has released a special commemorative book, ‘Immortal History of DPRK-PRC Friendship’, depicting his contribution to building and strengthening the special relations of friendship and solidarity between the two neighbouring socialist countries. President Kim Il Sung was a true internationalist, something that found concentrated expression in his lifelong friendship and collaboration with the communists and people of China. Noting in its preamble that this dates right from the beginning of the President’s long revolutionary career in the 1920s, the book depicts Kim Il Sung’s many visits to the People’s Republic from 1953 to the 1990s and his meetings with such Chinese leaders as Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Song Qingling, Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, Hu Yaobang, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Deng Yingchao and others, as well as visits to industrial, agricultural, scenic, cultural and revolutionary sites in many parts of China. In a photo from the 10th anniversary celebrations of the People’s Republic in 1959, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and Kim Il Sung are also joined by the Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh. The visits to the DPRK by many Chinese leaders including Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Hua Guofeng, Deng Yingchao,  Hu Yaobang, Yang Shangkun, Li Xiannian and Jiang Zemin are also depicted. In all, with many rare photographs, the book constitutes a valuable record and historical depiction of proletarian internationalism.

China-Korea friendship from one century into the next

February 16 marked the 80th birthday of Kim Jong Il, the late leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). Marking this occasion, the DPRK published a special commemorative photo album depicting his contributions to strengthening and developing the traditional friendly relations between the two socialist nations of China and Korea. The contents of this significant historical record were subsequently reproduced in video format. We are pleased to make it available here. It vividly depicts the great importance that Kim Jong Il attached to the relationship with China until the end of his life.