First Summit in Nearly 7 Years Since 2019, Held Grandly at the Great Hall of the People
China Extends Top-Level Protocol to Kim Jong Un, Second Only to Putin
North Korea-China Summit Agenda Expected to Focus on Economic Cooperation and Enhanced
North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un held a summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the 4th (local time), according to reports from Chinese state media.
According to CCTV and Xinhua News Agency, Chairman Kim arrived at the Great Hall of the People in the afternoon and held talks with President Xi. Based on reports from these outlets, it appears that the two leaders met for just over an hour.
Just before the state media reports, Chairman Kim's motorcade was spotted moving toward the Great Hall of the People at around 5:45 p.m. Local media provided near real-time coverage of the summit's commencement and proceedings, underscoring the significance of the North Korea-China summit.
This face-to-face meeting between Chairman Kim and President Xi is the first in approximately six years and eight months, since Chairman Kim's visit to China in January 2019 and President Xi's visit to Pyongyang in June of the same year. Chairman Kim departed Pyongyang by special train on the 1st, arrived in Beijing on the 2nd, and on the 3rd, attended the 80th anniversary Victory Day military parade in China alongside President Xi.
Notably, President Xi welcomed Chairman Kim with the highest level of protocol, equivalent to that given to Russian President Vladimir Putin, drawing considerable attention.
During the North Korea-China summit, it is expected that the main agenda included North Korea's pressing economic issues, as well as ways to expand economic and diplomatic cooperation between the two countries. Previously, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated, "North Korea and China will strengthen strategic communication and cooperation, and deepen exchanges of experience in state governance."
The previous day, Chairman Kim also held a separate bilateral meeting with President Putin at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse for two hours and thirty minutes, continuing the close engagement between North Korea and Russia.
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