China North Korea Relations

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before entering South Korea.

North Korea's rare swipe at China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang do not entirely see eye-to-eye on the latter's illicit nuclear weapons arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea said.

North Korea will allow foreign nationals to enter the country from Monday, Chinese state media reported, after over three years of Covid-induced isolation.

China said on Wednesday the rare summit between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin "pertains to relations between North Korea and Russia" as the two leaders met at a Russian space centre.

North Korea is planning a "grand" Korean War armistice anniversary celebration this week that will be attended by Chinese diplomats, the first known foreign visitors since Pyongyang's 2020 pandemic border closure.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will push for a "higher stage" of relations with Pyongyang, North Korean state media said Tuesday, as G7 foreign ministers condemned the North's unprecedented string of weapons tests.

China on Thursday blamed the "negative impact" of US military drills for tensions on the Korean peninsula, after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile that prompted Japan to briefly issue a seek shelter warning.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulating him on the Beijing Winter Olympics as a "great victory" and saying he wanted to improve relations between their countries.

US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to "push back" against China and condemned North Korea's spate of missile tests, while Biden underlined US commitment to defending Japan, in virtual talks Friday.

China and Russia on Thursday blocked a US push to impose United Nations sanctions on five North Koreans in response to recent missile launches by Pyongyang, diplomats told AFP.

North Korean defectors in Tokyo symbolically summoned Kim Jong Un to court on Thursday over a repatriation programme they describe as "state kidnapping".

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have vowed to bring their relations to a "new stage" as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of a friendship pact, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday.

A last minute flurry of diplomacy aimed at engaging with North Korea ahead of its declared year-end deadline for talks has been met with stony silence from Pyongyang so far, with the looming crisis expected to top the agenda at summits in China next week.

President Donald Trump said in remarks aired Sunday he saw a "good chance" of reaching deals on two key US foreign policy challenges: North Korean nuclear disarmament and trade relations with China.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to China this week is a sign that a second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump is "imminent", the South's President Moon Jae-in said Thursday.

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before entering South Korea.

North Korea's rare swipe at China this week underscored how Beijing and Pyongyang do not entirely see eye-to-eye on the latter's illicit nuclear weapons arsenal, despite warming ties in other areas, analysts and officials in South Korea said.

North Korea will allow foreign nationals to enter the country from Monday, Chinese state media reported, after over three years of Covid-induced isolation.

China said on Wednesday the rare summit between Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin "pertains to relations between North Korea and Russia" as the two leaders met at a Russian space centre.

North Korea is planning a "grand" Korean War armistice anniversary celebration this week that will be attended by Chinese diplomats, the first known foreign visitors since Pyongyang's 2020 pandemic border closure.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will push for a "higher stage" of relations with Pyongyang, North Korean state media said Tuesday, as G7 foreign ministers condemned the North's unprecedented string of weapons tests.

China on Thursday blamed the "negative impact" of US military drills for tensions on the Korean peninsula, after Pyongyang fired a ballistic missile that prompted Japan to briefly issue a seek shelter warning.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping congratulating him on the Beijing Winter Olympics as a "great victory" and saying he wanted to improve relations between their countries.

US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida agreed to "push back" against China and condemned North Korea's spate of missile tests, while Biden underlined US commitment to defending Japan, in virtual talks Friday.

China and Russia on Thursday blocked a US push to impose United Nations sanctions on five North Koreans in response to recent missile launches by Pyongyang, diplomats told AFP.

North Korean defectors in Tokyo symbolically summoned Kim Jong Un to court on Thursday over a repatriation programme they describe as "state kidnapping".

Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have vowed to bring their relations to a "new stage" as the two countries mark the 60th anniversary of a friendship pact, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday.

A last minute flurry of diplomacy aimed at engaging with North Korea ahead of its declared year-end deadline for talks has been met with stony silence from Pyongyang so far, with the looming crisis expected to top the agenda at summits in China next week.

President Donald Trump said in remarks aired Sunday he saw a "good chance" of reaching deals on two key US foreign policy challenges: North Korean nuclear disarmament and trade relations with China.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's trip to China this week is a sign that a second summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump is "imminent", the South's President Moon Jae-in said Thursday.