China and North Korea Strengthen Ties for Treaty Anniversary

President Xi Jinping hosted North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song in Beijing from July 10 to 13, 2026, to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. The visit follows Xi's June summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang, where both leaders agreed to broaden political, economic, and cultural cooperation.

During the meetings, Xi urged both nations to maintain strategic resolve and confidence to safeguard their respective socialist causes and modernization efforts amid a volatile international landscape. Premier Pak conveyed greetings from Kim Jong Un and pledged that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea would firmly support China's core interests, specifically regarding the Taiwan issue. In separate talks, Chinese Premier Li Qiang proposed aligning development strategies to expand trade, healthcare, education, and transportation connectivity.

Beyond diplomatic ceremonies, Pak visited the Museum of the Communist Party of China and toured a rail control center in Beijing and a recycling facility in Tianjin. These activities signal a strategic push to revive infrastructure and logistics networks weakened by pandemic-era border closures. South Korea's unification ministry noted that North Korea elevated the rank of its chief delegate to premier for this anniversary, a significant increase compared to 2019.

Simultaneously, China hosted a state visit from Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, announcing the elevation of bilateral relations to a China-Namibia community with a shared future for the new era. The leaders signed cooperation documents on mining and infrastructure, while Namibia reaffirmed its adherence to the one-China principle.