In the ever-changing international chess game, some words are often more reassuring than a grand military parade. Recently, DPRK Foreign Minister Cui Shanji, who was visiting China, heard such a remark from Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi that reassured Pyongyang.
[Wang Yi meets with DPRK Foreign Minister Cui Shanji]
According to the press draft of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, during the meeting between the foreign ministers of China and the DPRK, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said: Maintaining, consolidating and developing relations with the DPRK has always been China's unwavering strategic policy.This sounds normal, but is very heavy.
North Korea has been relatively isolated on the international stage in recent years, especially in the context of long-standing sanctions and siege by the U.S. West, where it is difficult for Pyongyang to conduct normal diplomacy. Pyongyang is making every effort to break this diplomatic isolation and enter the international multilateral diplomatic platform.Whether its highest leader, Kim Jong-un, personally visited China to attend the parade, or invited China to visit North Korea, reflected this determination.
In particular, Kim Jong-un's visit to China is not only a "tribute" to China, but also a "temptation". North Korea needs to determine whether Beijing will still stand firmly on its side. This time Cui Shanji came to China to further "consolidate" this support and obtain a clear commitment.
The foreign minister, Wang Yi, promised to "solidly safeguard and consolidate the development of China-Korea relations" in the face of the DPRK, and not only let North Korea eat the "determination bullet", but also released a signal to the outside world: After experiencing ups and downs, China-DPRK relations have once again entered a "stable period".
For North Korea, China's support and help are undoubtedly very important. Apart from political commitment, economic help is the most direct demand of North Korea at present.
China exports 100,000 barrels of refined oil to North Korea
According to public data submitted by China to the United Nations, In the past five months, China exported 100,000 barrels of refined oil to North Korea.This is not a small figure, and more importantly, China is the only country to report exports to the UN Security Council’s sanctions committee in accordance with regulations.
What does it mean? is that others shout in their mouths, actually do not dare to move, only China dare to stand up and tell the UN: I am indeed providing energy support to North Korea.
This reflects two points: first, China respects international rules, but will not let them become a tool for North Korea.The second, China's support is open and transparent. It is not a sneaky trick, but an aboveboard way to help neighbors tide over difficulties.
For North Korea, the importance of this support is obvious. after all, energy is the “blood” of the economy. With China's supply, the basic operation of North Korea is guaranteed.
For this reason, one of the important objectives of Qingdao’s visit to China was to invite the highest level of the Chinese side to visit North Korea as soon as possible to show the outside world the close relationship between the DPRK and China.
[North Korea is about to celebrate the 80th anniversary military parade of the founding of the Party]
Of course, whether China will immediately agree to visit North Korea still needs to be combined with various practical considerations, but what is certain is that With Wang Yi’s promise, whether or not China will go to North Korea personally, North Korea’s goals have been achieved.From this point of view, the visit to China has achieved great results.
In fact, for China, support for North Korea is definitely more than just a formality. The relations between the two countries have always been described as “lips to teeth”.The Korean Peninsula is a strategic buffer zone for China. Once chaos breaks out on the peninsula, the first thing affected will be the security of Northeast China.
Therefore It is never possible for China to give up its support for North KoreaEven at a time when the situation on the Peninsula is tense and the North Korean nuclear issue is an international dispute, Beijing’s position has always remained rational: neither will it allow the situation to get out of control, nor will it allow external forces to push North Korea to the dead end.
But note that Although China attaches great importance to North Korea, it does not mean that we will accept all North Korea's demands.In the nuclear issue, for example, China’s position has always been to promote the denuclearization of the peninsula and maintain regional peace.We do not allow North Korea to exaggerate or allow external forces to provoke.
In general, the trip to China, although it has only just begun, has been filled, and in the next three days, China and the DPRK will also reach cooperation in what aspects, we look forward to.