China's Premier Li Qiang to Visit North Korea for 80th Anniversary Celebration in Highest-Level Delegation Since 2019

Li Qiang has been increasingly representing China internationally as President Xi Jinping reduces his foreign travel commitments.

Beijing:

China's Premier Li Qiang is scheduled to visit North Korea this week, marking the highest-level Chinese delegation to the country since 2019.

According to Tuesday's announcement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Qiang will head a government delegation from Thursday to Saturday to participate in celebrations commemorating the 80th anniversary of North Korea's ruling party's establishment.

China remains North Korea's most crucial ally and primary source of support, though North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has recently worked to diversify relationships by strengthening ties with Russia. Kim has even deployed troops to support Moscow's military operations in Ukraine.

Russia will be represented at the anniversary celebrations by former President Dmitri Medvedev, as reported Monday by North Korea's official KCNA news agency.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry described China and North Korea as "traditional friends and neighbors," stating that maintaining, consolidating, and developing relations with North Korea constitutes "an unswerving strategic policy" of both the Chinese government and Communist Party.

Li Qiang holds membership in the seven-person Standing Committee of the Communist Party's Politburo, China's highest power structure. As premier, he is generally recognized as the second-most powerful figure after President Xi Jinping. Li has been taking on more international diplomatic responsibilities as 72-year-old Xi reduces his travel commitments.

President Xi Jinping's most recent visit to North Korea occurred in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnam's top leader, To Lam, will also attend North Korea's anniversary celebrations this week, as announced by the Vietnamese government on Monday. As general secretary of the Communist Party, Lam holds the equivalent leadership position to Xi in China and Kim in North Korea's Workers' Party.

This visit represents the first by a Vietnamese leader to North Korea since 2007, according to Vietnamese state media.

The president of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith, who serves as general secretary of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party, will also attend the celebrations, as reported by KCNA last week.

High-level diplomatic exchanges between China and North Korea have intensified since last year. Zhao Leji, another Politburo Standing Committee member, visited North Korea in April and met with Kim in Pyongyang. Kim also traveled to China last month, joining Russian President Vladimir Putin and other dignitaries at a military parade in Beijing.

(This article is automatically generated from a syndicated feed without editing by NDTV staff.)