Banquet Held in North Korea to Mark China's 77th National Day: "Support for One China and Defense of Core Interests"

[Financial News] A banquet was held in Pyongyang, North Korea, to mark the 77th anniversary of China's National Day.
According to the official WeChat account of the Chinese Embassy in North Korea on the 30th, North Korea's Korean Association for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries and the Korea-China Friendship Association held a banquet at Okryu-gwan in Pyongyang the previous afternoon to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.
The Chinese Embassy in North Korea said the banquet was attended by Kim Eun-je, chairman of the Korean Association for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, as well as officials in charge of the Workers' Party of Korea's International Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defence, the Ministry of External Economic Relations, and the Ministry of Culture.
China was represented by Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun, embassy diplomats, and representatives of Chinese institutions, companies, media outlets, overseas Chinese, and students in North Korea.
At the banquet, Kim Eun-je said, "In accordance with the noble intentions of the top leaders of the two parties and countries, further deepening and developing North Korea-China friendship and cooperation is the firm position and will of the Workers' Party and government of North Korea."
He emphasized, "We will continue to support the policies and position of the Chinese Party and government, which oppose hegemonism and power politics, seek to establish a fair international order, and aim to defend China's core interests based on the 'One China' principle."
After offering congratulations on China's 77th National Day, he said, "Under the correct leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), with General Secretary Xi Jinping at its core, the Chinese people have achieved substantial results in the drive to build a modern socialist country in all respects." He assessed that China's comprehensive national power and international standing continue to grow.
He added that the North Korea-China friendship, rooted in a long history and tradition, would advance to a new stage in line with the demands of the times.
Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Wang Yajun also cited a series of recent summits between the two countries' leaders and called for stronger North Korea-China relations.
He said, "General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Kim Jong Un held two historic meetings in less than a year, guiding the direction of relations between the two parties and countries," adding, "This has brought new and significant opportunities for the development of China-North Korea relations."
He further stated that China "will remain unwaveringly committed to maintaining, consolidating, and developing its traditional friendship with North Korea, and will move forward hand in hand with North Korea along the path of socialist construction."
North Korea and China have been accelerating exchanges in various fields, including high-level, economic, and cultural affairs, ahead of the 77th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on the 6th of next month.
On the 9th, marking the 78th anniversary of the establishment of the North Korean regime, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un exchanged congratulatory messages and replies, maintaining a friendly atmosphere. On the 23rd, Ambassador Wang met with Park Myung-ho, chairman of the People's Committee of North Hamgyong Province, in Chongjin to discuss ways to expand exchanges and cooperation between the two countries' border regions.
On the 19th and 21st, Ambassador Wang also met with the party secretary of Jilin Province and officials from Yanji in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture to exchange views on expanding economic exchanges.
Meanwhile, there is speculation that the New Yalu River Bridge linking Dandong in China's Liaoning Province and Sinuiju in North Korea will open to traffic on the 6th of next month, 12 years after its completion. 


[email protected] Lee Seok-woo, international affairs correspondent Reporter