North Korea and China agree to deepen cooperation in talks between foreign ministers

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The foreign ministers of North Korea and China agreed to further deepen cooperation and exchanges between their countries and had an “in-depth exchange” on international issues, the countries’ state media outlets reported Friday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi flew to Pyongyang on Thursday in his first visit to North Korea in seven years.

China’s Xinhua news agency said Wang and North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui discussed current international and regional issues at their meeting Thursday but didn’t specify what those issues were. The North’s official Korean Central News Agency reported they also agreed to strengthen strategic communication between their agencies handling foreign policy.

Neither outlet mentioned whether Choe and Wang discussed the United States or other topics like the war in the Middle East.

Wang’s trip to North Korea came before U.S. President Donald Trump travels to Beijing for a rescheduled summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in May.

The relationship between North Korea and China has often been described as being “as close as lips and teeth,” but their ties have been questioned in recent years. North Korea focused on expanding cooperation with Russia by supplying troops and ammunition to support its war against Ukraine, while China is reportedly reluctant to form an anti-West alliance with North Korea and Russia.

But North Korea and China have been pushing to solidify their ties. Last September, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Xi held their first summit in more than six years and pledged mutual support.

Last month, North Korea and China resumed their direct flight and passenger train services, which had been suspended since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

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Associated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.