Source: China News Weekly
Original title: Kim Jong-un personally deployed a high-standard reception plan, and Sino-DPRK relations entered a new historical period
The visit comes at a critical time for peace dialogue on the Peninsula
For promoting the political settlement process of the Korean Peninsula issue
Maintaining peace and stability on the peninsula has played an important role
On June 20, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang by special plane to begin a state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission, and his wife, Ri Xue-ju, warmly greeted Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan at the airport. The DPRK side held a grand welcoming ceremony at the airport. After the welcome ceremony, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un drove to the Sun Palace Square of Jinxiu Mountain, and hundreds of thousands of people along the way welcomed him. Photo/Xinhua
Sino-DPRK relations have entered a new historical period
On June 20 and 21, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to North Korea, where the DPRK welcomed "the most respectful Chinese dignitaries" with the highest courtesy. On the day of Mr. Xi's arrival, more than 250,000 North Koreans poured into the streets to welcome him. According to data released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the total population of Pyongyang is about 3.25 million.
When he arrived at the intersection of Liming Avenue, Xi Jinping changed into an open-top car and drove with Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission, to the Sun Palace Plaza on Jinxiu Mountain. Standing in a slow-moving convertible, the top chinese and North Korean leaders waved to north Koreans huddled on both sides of the road. When the vehicle arrived at the Sun Palace Square of Splendid Mountain, the welcoming crowd waited there dressed in festive costumes, singing and dancing, which was the first time a foreign leader received a salute at the Sun Palace Square of Fairview Mountain. The high-level reception plan, including some preliminary communication and coordination and specific reception details, was personally planned and deployed by Kim Jong-un.
Xi Jinping's state visit to north Korea is the second visit to north Korea by the top leader of China's party and state in 14 years, and the first time since Xi Jinping became the supreme leader of the party and the country. In the past 15 months or so, the top leaders of China and the DPRK have met five times.
At the end of the visit, Song Tao, director of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee, briefed the accompanying reporters on the situation and said that General Secretary Xi Jinping's visit is of great significance to the development of China-DPRK relations in the new era. At the same time, this visit coincides with the entry of a critical period of peace dialogue on the Peninsula and has played an important role in promoting the political settlement process of the Peninsula issue and maintaining peace and stability on the Peninsula.
China and the DPRK are reliable and important partners
On the afternoon of June 20, xi jinping and Kim Jong-un held a 100-minute meeting in the talk hall of Building 1 of the Jinxiu Mountain State Guest House, communicating on China-DPRK relations and the Peninsula issue. At noon on June 21, Xi Jinping met with Kim Jong-un again at the Jinxiu Mountain Guest House. Before the meeting, Mr. and Mrs. Xi Jinping and Mr. and Mrs. Kim Jong-un walked and talked in the courtyard.
In fact, this is not The first time Xi Jinping has visited North Korea. In June 2008, when then-Vice President Xi Jinping went to work for the central government, the first stop on his first trip was North Korea. In March 2018, Kim arrived in Beijing on a special train for an informal visit to China, his first trip since he became north Korea's supreme leader. Since then, in January this year, Kim Jong-un has visited China four times in less than a year.
On June 21, in response to a reporter's question at a regular press conference about "China is willing to provide assistance to the DPRK in resolving its own legitimate security and development concerns within its capabilities," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that President Xi Jinping pointed out during his talks with Chairman Kim Jong Un that China-DPRK relations have entered a new historical period. "In the face of the profound and complex evolution of the international and regional situation, the two sides should strengthen high-level exchanges and lead the way for the development of China-DPRK relations." The two sides should maintain close exchanges and firmly grasp the general direction of the development of Sino-DPRK relations. The two sides should strengthen strategic communication and exchange views on major issues in a timely and in-depth manner. The two sides should expand pragmatic cooperation and bring greater well-being to the two peoples. The two sides should deepen friendly exchanges and lay a solid foundation for the consolidation and development of China-DPRK friendship. Lu Kang said.
On June 20, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of the People's Republic of China, met with Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, at the State Guest House in Jinxiu Mountain, Pyongyang. Photo/Xinhua
Initiators and facilitators of important initiatives
During Kim Jong-un's informal visit to China on March 25-28, 2018, Xi Jinping told Kim: "This visit to China is of special timing and great significance," and said that "generations of leaders of China and north Korea have maintained close exchanges and come and go as often as relatives."
The day after Kim Jong-un concluded his visit, representatives of North and South Korea held high-level talks at the Unification Cabinet on the North Korean side of Panmunjom. On April 20, the Third Plenary Session of the Seventh Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea decided to stop nuclear and missile tests and concentrate on developing the economy and improving people's living standards. On April 27, North Korea's Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, Kim Jong-un, held a historic meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Peace House on the South Korean side of Panmunjom.
On May 7-8, 2018, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un met in Dalian at a "critical moment of profound and complex evolution of the situation on the Korean Peninsula." Xi Jinping expressed appreciation for a series of decisions made by the DPRK to stop nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile tests, and expressed "support for the DPRK's strategic focus to economic construction, and support the DPRK comrades to follow a development path that suits their national conditions."
On June 19-20, 2018, about a week after attending the first Kim Summit in Singapore, Kim Jong-un made a "special visit to China". At the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, Xi Jinping specially invited Kim Jong-un to take a look at a pine planted by President Kim Il Sung that year, and pointed out during the talks that with the joint efforts of all relevant parties, the Peninsula issue has returned to the correct track of dialogue and consultation. It is hoped that the DPRK and the United States will implement the results of the summit meeting and form a joint force between the parties concerned to jointly advance the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.
From January 7 to 10, 2019, Kim Jong-un paid his fourth visit to China. Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un had an in-depth exchange of views on China-DPRK relations and issues of common concern and reached important consensus. Xi Jinping stressed that the general trend of peaceful dialogue on the Peninsula has taken shape, and the continuation of the talks and the results of the talks have become the general expectation and consensus of the international community. The political settlement of the Peninsula issue is facing a rare historical opportunity, and Xi Jinping has once again clarified China's position with the "four supports": support the DPRK in continuing to adhere to the direction of denuclearization of the Peninsula; support the continuous improvement of relations between the North and the South; support the DPRK and the United States in holding a summit meeting and achieving results; and support the relevant parties to resolve their legitimate concerns through dialogue.
More than a month later, the second Kim Jong-Une was held in Hanoi, Vietnam. No agreement was reached at the meeting, a new situation has emerged in the process of resolving the Korean Peninsula issue, and uncertainties have risen. However, since 2018, with the joint efforts of all parties, the Peninsula issue has generally returned to the correct track of dialogue and consultation, and the situation on the Peninsula has developed in the direction of peace and stability.
Yang Xiyu, a researcher at the Asia-Pacific Research Institute of the China Institute of International Studies, told China News Weekly that the situation on the Korean Peninsula is currently at a crossroads. The U.S.-North Korea denuclearization talks have reached an impasse, and inter-Korean interaction has been dragged into a stalemate to some extent. Under such circumstances, the significance of President Xi's visit to North Korea is bound to go beyond bilateral relations. This visit will certainly have an impact on the situation on the Korean Peninsula, on the North-South dialogue and the DPRK-US dialogue, which have reached an impasse, and on the launching of the political settlement process on the Korean Peninsula. ”
On June 20, during talks with Kim Jong-un, Xi Jinping said that China is willing to provide assistance to the DPRK in resolving its legitimate security and development concerns, and is willing to strengthen coordination and cooperation with the DPRK and relevant parties to play a positive and constructive role in realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula and long-term regional peace and stability.
Kim Jong-un said: The DPRK side highly appreciates the important role played by China in the settlement of the Peninsula issue, and is willing to continue to strengthen communication and coordination with the Chinese side, strive to promote new progress in the political settlement of the Peninsula issue, and maintain peace and stability on the Peninsula. He also said that over the past year or so, the DPRK has taken many positive measures to avoid tension and control the situation on the peninsula, but has not received a positive response from the relevant parties, which the DPRK does not want to see.
In promoting the settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, China has always played a role in persuading peace and promoting talks. In 2005, when the China-led Six-Party Talks on the DPRK Nuclear Issue proceeded to the second phase of the fourth round, the six parties jointly signed the 9.19 Joint Statement, which established the basic framework for a package settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula. In February 2016, on the eve of the Security Council's discussion of the strictest sanctions against the DPRK, China put forward a new idea of realizing the denuclearization of the peninsula and the transformation of the peninsula cessation and mechanism in parallel. In 2017, when the Korean Peninsula was on the brink of war, Foreign Minister Wang Yi put forward a "double suspension" proposal during China's two sessions, that is, a proposal that "the DPRK suspends nuclear and missile activities and the United States and South Korea also suspends large-scale military exercises", hoping to bring all parties back to the negotiating table through "double suspension".
Yang Xiyu told China News Weekly that on the Peninsula issue, China not only plays an important role in actively mediating with all parties, but also plays the role of an important initiative and promoter to solve key issues at every important moment.