China sees its relationship with North Korea as “normal state relations” just like those of other bilateral pairings, according to Wang Jiarui, the head of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party.
Senior Saenuri Party lawmaker Yoo Ki June revealed news of Wang’s comments on May 27th following his return from a visit to China, where he headed a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers. The delegation was in China from May 20th-24th, meeting with a range of Chinese figures including Wang and the head of the Chinese Communist Party in Chongqing.
“North Korea’s Choi Ryong Hae visited China as a special envoy from Kim Jong Eun, but their attitude to him was different to that of the past,” Yoo, who heads a special party committee working to improve the diplomatic competence of the Saenuri Party, claimed. “Choi’s meeting with President Xi Jinping was tricky, occurring at the last moment before he returned home, and Choi delivered Kim Jong Eun’s hand-written note having changed from military uniform into civilian clothing.”
It is unclear whether Wang made his comments in true reflection of a changing Chinese stance following six months of belligerence on the part of North Korea, or whether he was applying diplomatic finesse to relations with South Korea in advance of President Park Geun Hye’s upcoming summit with President Xi, which is scheduled for the end of June.
