Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping believes his country’s friendship with North Korea will extend far into the future as “socialist nations” united under “common ideals, convictions and aspirations.”
Xi met with Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, the first sit-down between the two world leaders in approximately six years. It was a major victory for Kim, who has seen his nation’s global profile surge due to cooperation with Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.
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“The CPC and the Chinese government attach great importance to the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK, and stand ready to maintain, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations,” a Chinese readout following their bilateral meeting stated. “No matter how the international landscape may evolve, this position will stay unchanged. China will continue to support the DPRK in pursuing a development path suited to its national conditions and opening new grounds in advancing the DPRK’s socialist cause.”
“China will work with the DPRK to step up high-level exchanges and strategic communication, strengthen exchanges of experience in governance of Party and state affairs, deepen mutual understanding and friendship, promote closer interactions at all levels, and advance practical cooperation across the board.”
The lengthy document published by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized the two nations’ shared heritage in communist revolution and commended North Korea for “making new progress in developing socialism.”
It is an interesting gesture of approval considering the two countries divergent political theories regarding the implementation of their original, Marxist-Leninist principles.
Beginning under former leader Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese Communist Party has embraced the political theory of “socialism with Chinese characteristics” — an ideology that characterized their society as only entering the earliest stages of socialist development, with aspects unique to their cultural heritage and geopolitical realities.
This framing has given Chinese officials and entrepreneurs license to engage in capitalistic endeavors, ostensibly to generate the wealth and resources needed to propel the country toward the far-off goal of a completely communist society in the future.
North Korean political theory, by contrast, mutated from its original Marxist origins into what is now known as Kimilsungism–Kimjongilism or Juche. Former supreme leader Kim Jong Il, Kim Jong Un’s father, declared Juche to be a unique ideology separate from Marxism. It is based on the principles of economic independence, ideological autonomy, and military self-sufficiency.
Under the Juche ideology, North Korean manufacturing and commerce remain firmly in the grip of the supreme leader, and international cooperation is severely inhibited by a fear of outside nations undermining North Korean independence.
Despite their divergent political developments, China and North Korea find common cause in opposition to U.S. global influence.
Kim was in Beijing to attend the bombastic military parade organized by the Chinese Communist Party to celebrate 80 years since the end of World War II. He was a guest of honor, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and some 20 other world leaders positioning themselves against U.S. global hegemony.
The ceremony, which flaunted Chinese manpower and previously unseen breakthroughs in military technology, carried an obvious message of strength to Western powers seeking to undermine Chinese expansionist hopes.
“Today, humanity again has to choose between peace or war, dialogue or confrontation, win-win cooperation or zero-sum,” Xi warned in remarks before the parade, wearing a Communist Revolution-era Mao suit.
President Donald Trump heard the message loud and clear, accusing Xi, Putin, and Kim of meeting to “conspire against The United States of America.”
Kim Jong Un was once virtually frozen out of the global order by Western sanctions and fear from Russia and China that association with the rogue state could harm their international standing.
Following his military support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kim has been rehabilitated by both the Eastern powers as a third-wheel ally, willing and capable of breaking international law to their benefit.
WITH PUTIN AND KIM IN BEIJING, XI SAYS HUMANITY MUST ‘CHOOSE BETWEEN PEACE OR WAR’
Reporters at the meeting between Putin and Kim noticed an unusual detail regarding the supreme leader — North Korean attendants assiduously cleaned every area and item that he interacted with.
Kremlin reporter Alexander Yunashev published a video of the clean-up crew, who he said were meticulously cleaning armrests and tables. They were also reportedly seen taking away the glass from which Kim had drunk.