Geopolitics is a messy business, but some alliances are carved in stone. Or at least, that is the official line out of Beijing and Pyongyang. Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it clear that China’s bond with North Korea is not up for negotiation. No matter how chaotic the global stage gets, the friendship remains. This came straight from diplomatic letters traded between Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, splashed across North Korean state media on Saturday.
Kim did not hold back the rhetoric either. In his message to Xi, he boasted that their bilateral cooperation has climbed to a “new strategic level.” It is the kind of talk designed to make Washington sweat.
Actions backed up the words. North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song landed in Beijing on Friday. He is in town for a three-day stint to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the friendship treaty between the two neighbors.
This is not sudden affection. Just last month, Xi made his first trip to Pyongyang in seven years. He and Kim sat down and agreed to push cooperation further. They are looking at politics, the economy, and culture.
It is about survival. The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, inked back on July 11, 1961, is not just paper. It is China’s only active mutual defense pact.
Xi spelled it out. He promised that the Chinese Communist Party will always back North Korea’s socialist path under Kim’s rule. The goal is simple. Protect their shared interests. Keep their strategic backyard safe. The world changes, but some pacts endure.
