China Sends Delegation to North Korea's 9.9 Day Celebration Event

North Korea's Rodong Sinmun: "Ryu Guk-jung, Deputy Premier of the State Council, Leads Delegation"
Economic Expert's Visit Sparks Speculation on North Korea-China Economic Cooperation
Russian Delegation Also Expected to Visit... Close North Korea-China-Russia Ties

A delegation led by the Vice Premier of the State Council of China is scheduled to visit North Korea to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean regime (September 9).

The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the Workers' Party of Korea, reported on the 7th, "At the invitation of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, a delegation of the Party and Government of the People's Republic of China, led by Comrade Liu Guozhong, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Vice Premier of the State Council, will visit our country to participate in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Five years ago, during the 70th anniversary event, a Chinese delegation led by Li Zhanshu, then Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China (ranked third in the Communist Party), as a special representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, visited North Korea. Compared to that time, the rank of the visiting delegation has been downgraded. However, there is speculation that the visit of Vice Premier Liu, an economic expert with a background in science and technology bureaucracy, could lead to discussions on economic cooperation between North Korea and China.

Earlier, China also sent a delegation to North Korea's 'Victory Day' (the day the Korean War armistice agreement was signed, July 27) celebration in July. At that time, the delegation was led by Li Hongzhong, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party Central Committee and Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

At the North Korean Victory Day event, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu led a delegation to North Korea, demonstrating close ties among North Korea, China, and Russia. Shoigu met with North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un, and the two viewed the 2023 Armed Equipment Exhibition held in Pyongyang together, fueling rumors of a 'North Korea-Russia arms deal.'

North Korean media has not yet reported on a Russian delegation visiting for this year's September 9 anniversary. However, since North Korea invited both Chinese and Russian delegations side by side during the previous Victory Day, it is expected that a Russian delegation will visit North Korea this time as well. Five years ago, during the 70th anniversary of September 9, a Russian delegation led by Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council, visited North Korea.

This year's September 9 anniversary is attracting attention as a stage where North Korea, China, and Russia could showcase close ties amid speculation about joint military exercises among the three countries.

The National Intelligence Service revealed that Defense Minister Shoigu officially proposed a North Korea-China-Russia joint military exercise to Chairman Kim. The U.S. White House has also assessed that Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin have exchanged letters and are negotiating arms deals, and the New York Times (NYT) has effectively confirmed reports that a North Korea-Russia summit is scheduled to take place later this month.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.