In a world of shrinking options and rising risks, Pyongyang recognises its alliance with Beijing is too important to ignore
3-MIN READ3-MINGabriela BernalPublished: 5:30am, 16 Apr 2026Having invested significant diplomatic capital into ties with Russia in recent years, North Korea now seems to be pivoting back to China. Leader Kim Jong-un said his country places “the greatest value” on improving ties with Beijing.
Notably, Wang’s visit marked his first to North Korea since 2019. In the intervening years of the Covid-19 pandemic, North Korea’s border closure and rapidly growing ties with Russia resulted in relations with Beijing taking a back seat.
A lot has changed since then, however. According to North Korean state media, Kim told Wang that Pyongyang places “top priority” on developing its traditional ties with China. Kim also reaffirmed his commitment to high-level strategic communication and voiced support for the one-China principle and Beijing’s vision for a multipolar world.
Wang stressed that China is ready to enhance cooperation across multiple areas and promote regional peace and development. According to the Korean Central News Agency readout, he described bilateral relations as entering a “new phase”, pointing to last year’s Xi-Kim summit as the foundation.
