At the invitation of Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and President of the People's Republic of China, Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Affairs Commission, visited China from January 7 to 10. As in 2018, Kim Jong-un's first stop on his New Year's visit was still China. Wang Sheng, a professor at the Department of International Politics at Jilin University and an expert on the korean and Korean issues, said in an interview with the Global Times that this shows that in the case of the stalemate in dprk-US contacts, Kim Jong-un still believes that China is the breakthrough point for continuing to open up the situation of domestic and foreign affairs.
On the 7th, Kim Jong-un and his wife Lee Seok-joo set off for China. (Photo: Rodong Sinmun)
Why did Kim Jong-un visit China? Wang Sheng believes that the purpose of this visit is still related to the promotion of the second summit meeting between the DPRK and the United States, "Looking back at the development process of the situation on the Korean Peninsula last year, we can see that although the relaxation of the situation on the Korean Peninsula is the result of the joint efforts of relevant countries, we cannot underestimate that since March 25 last year, President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong-un have met three times in succession, and Kim Jong-un was able to firmly take the road of denuclearization and talk with the United States in 2018, mainly from trust in China." ”
"Only when Kim Jong-un visits China this time is the DPRK-US relations are still in a state of stalemate, if the future US-DPRK talks go smoothly and the DPRK's economic center of gravity shifts, the situation on the peninsula may have the conditions to continue to warm up, otherwise if the sanctions issue cannot be resolved, the situation on the peninsula will remain difficult to predict." Wang Sheng believes that how to open a breakthrough for the stalemate is very critical to the domestic and foreign affairs of North Korea in 2019.
On the first day of the new year in 2019, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un delivered a congratulatory message reiterating his unwavering commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula; We are willing to further develop inter-Korean and DPRK-US relations and are ready to hold talks with US President Trump again. However, Wang Sheng believes that after many years of confrontation between the United States and the DPRK, at present, both sides hope that the other side will take a step first, which is unrealistic. Trust requires a process and constant engagement and negotiation at all levels. Therefore, in this process, China will continue to exist as a key factor, which cannot be replaced by other countries. Continuing to choose China as a breakthrough is an objective need for Kim Jong-un to develop the economy and stabilize the situation on the peninsula.
Wang Sheng said that this year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the DPRK, and Kim Jong-un's arrangement of this year's first foreign visit to China also shows that he attaches great importance to the development of Sino-DPRK relations. Xi Jinping has expressed his desire to visit North Korea, and this year's summit interaction is likely to be particularly frequent, including exchanges and cooperation in various fields. It is a very crucial year for the development of China-DPRK relations and the transformation of north Korea's domestic strategy. "2019 is no less significant for North Korea than 1979 for China's development."