China, No Special Statement
"No Information to Provide" Draws a Line
Interest Grows Over Whether Putin Will Visit Back
China did not express any particular stance regarding North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui's visit to Russia, describing it as "a matter between the two countries."
Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to a question on the 18th briefing asking, "North Korea's foreign minister visited Russia. How does China view the strengthening of cooperation between North Korea and Russia?" by simply stating, without further comment, that it was "bilateral exchanges between Russia and Joseon (North Korea)."
Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) warmly shakes hands with Choe Son-hui, North Korean Foreign Minister, who visited the Moscow Kremlin on the 16th (local time). Foreign Minister Choe is visiting Russia from the 15th to the 17th at the invitation of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. 2024.01.17 [Image source=Yonhap News]
When asked about any upcoming high-level exchanges between China and North Korea, spokesperson Mao replied, "There is currently no information to provide," avoiding an immediate answer.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously announced that Foreign Minister Choe officially visited Russia from the 14th to the 18th and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Choe arrived in Moscow on the 14th, conducted official schedules from the 15th to the 17th, and appeared to have departed for North Korea on the 18th.
In a statement on the 16th, the Russian Foreign Ministry explained that the North Korea-Russia foreign ministers' meeting held in Moscow "discussed in detail the development of bilateral relations focusing on the implementation of the agreements from the Russia-North Korea summit last September, including future political contact schedules."
However, specific details such as the timing of President Putin's visit to North Korea were not disclosed.
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