North Korea's Premier Pak Tae-song starts a two-day visit to China on July 10 to mark the 65th anniversary of the signing of the North Korea-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance.

		0
North Korea's Premier Pak Tae-song (right) and Chinese Premier Li Qiang shake hands during their talks at the Mansudae Assembly Hall in Pyongyang, North Korea, on October 11 last year. / Photo by Xinhua

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced during a regular press briefing on July 9, "At the invitation of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Government of the People's Republic of China, Premier Pak Tae-song, Member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and Vice Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK (North Korea), will lead a North Korean party and government delegation on an official visit to China from July 10 to 12." She added, "(Premier Pak) will attend the commemorative events marking the 65th anniversary of the signing of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance."

Regarding the background of this visit, Spokesperson Mao emphasized, "China and the DPRK are traditional friendly neighbors. Maintaining, consolidating, and developing China-DPRK relations well has always been a firm strategic policy of the Chinese Party and government."

Furthermore, she stated, "This year marks the 65th anniversary of the signing of the China-DPRK Friendship Treaty. The two sides have agreed to jointly hold grand commemorative events," adding, "China is willing to work with the DPRK, taking the important consensus reached by the top leaders of both parties and countries as a guide, to strengthen strategic communication, and promote the continuous development of the traditional China-DPRK friendly cooperative relations through close exchanges and cooperation."

The North Korea-China Friendship Treaty was signed in Beijing on July 11, 1961, by the then-North Korean leader Kim Il-sung and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. It contains a clause for automatic military intervention, stating that if either signatory enters a state of war, the other will provide assistance. It can be described as a treaty symbolizing the blood alliance between the two countries.

Prior to this, Chinese General Secretary and President Xi Jinping, who visited North Korea last month as his first overseas trip of the year, mentioned during a summit with North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the treaty's signing, noting that "grand commemorative events should be held." Consequently, rumors had circulated in Beijing's diplomatic circles that Chairman Kim might attend the event himself. However, it concluded with Premier Pak's attendance.

                                                                                                          Hong Soon-do