North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un has praised China as a steadfast ally and reaffirmed Pyongyang’s “friendly and cooperative” ties with Beijing during celebrations marking 80 years under the rule of the Workers’ Party.
The remarks came as China’s Premier Li Qiang and other foreign dignitaries attended the anniversary festivities in Pyongyang, state media reported on Friday.
China remains North Korea’s most vital economic and diplomatic partner, providing critical lifelines amid international sanctions.
However, relations between the two neighbours have sometimes been strained by Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme and missile tests that challenge regional stability.
According to reports by North Korean state media, Kim hailed Li’s presence as evidence of Beijing’s “invariable support and special friendly feeling” toward the ruling party and people of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
He praised China’s consistent efforts to preserve and deepen the “traditional DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations.”
The celebrations featured a grand military parade expected to showcase North Korea’s latest intercontinental ballistic missiles and other advanced weaponry.
South Korean military officials noted signs of “rehearsals, equipment mobilisation, and missile displays,” adding that the parade would likely take place on Friday night despite light rains forecast across Pyongyang.
The 80th anniversary festivities come at a time when Kim Jong Un appears emboldened by shifting global dynamics. In recent months, Pyongyang has strengthened military and political ties with Moscow, sending thousands of North Korean troops to support Russia’s ongoing war effort in Ukraine.
Russia’s former president and deputy head of its Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, was among the high-profile guests at the celebrations.
Kim’s deepening alignment with Russia has drawn global scrutiny, with Western powers warning that arms cooperation between the two countries could violate United Nations sanctions.
Nonetheless, the partnership has given Kim renewed leverage on the international stage, as Moscow has defended North Korea’s right to bolster its defence capabilities.
KCNA also reported that a joint statement from the ruling parties of Moscow and Pyongyang expressed “firm support” for North Korea’s measures to strengthen its defences.
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“Today our people are standing in front of the world as powerful beings who know no insurmountable difficulties and no unachievable cause,” Kim declared during a mass rally and art performance held at May Day Stadium, attended by Medvedev and Vietnam’s Communist Party chief, To Lam.
Experts say Kim’s latest diplomatic manoeuvres — balancing ties with both China and Russia — reflect his strategy to secure regime survival amid deepening isolation from the West. Sergey Radchenko, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, told AFP that “a multi-vector diplomacy that includes China, in addition to Russia, makes sense for Kim as he seeks both international acceptance and strategic protection.”
Last month, Kim joined Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Beijing for an elaborate military parade, underscoring his growing presence in the global power arena. The appearance symbolised what analysts describe as a new “axis of convenience” among authoritarian states resisting Western pressure.
Meanwhile, there is growing speculation that a rare meeting between North Korea and the United States could occur later this year during the APEC summit in South Korea. Although no confirmation has been made, Seoul officials have hinted that dialogue “cannot be ruled out.”
U.S. President Donald Trump famously met Kim three times between 2018 and 2019 in attempts to denuclearise the Korean Peninsula, though the talks collapsed without a lasting agreement. Since then, Pyongyang has declared itself an “irreversible” nuclear power and resumed frequent missile launches.
As North Korea marked its 80th party anniversary with parades and pageantry, analysts say the spectacle underscores Kim’s dual goals — demonstrating strength at home while reinforcing loyalty from his most important allies abroad.
Punch
