China's top diplomat Wang Yi met with a delegation led by Kim Song Nam, a member of the Political Bureau, secretary and international department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), in Beijing on Thursday, Xinhua reported. Wang, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said China is willing to work with the DPRK to implement the important consensus reached by the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries, and promote the continuous growth of bilateral ties.

Source: Xinhua via People's Daily Online

Yonhap, reporting the same meeting from the Communist Party of China's International Department WeChat account, said Wang reiterated China's commitment to cementing bilateral relations and expressed hope that ties would develop 'deeply, substantially and positively' for the benefit of both countries. Kim's delegation arrived in Beijing on Tuesday, Yonhap said, as China and the North seek to reinforce cooperation after bilateral relations apparently weakened amid deepening alignment between Moscow and Pyongyang over the war in Ukraine.

Source: Yonhap via Korea JoongAng Daily

Nov 5Date of the Wang Yi–Kim Song Nam meeting in Beijing
JuneXi Jinping's state visit to Pyongyang, which Wang said set the direction for ties
Oct 24Kim Jong Un's surprise crossing into Dandong, China, over the New Yalu River Bridge
Nov 18–19APEC summit in Shenzhen, where a Trump–Kim meeting has been floated

Implementing what Xi and Kim agreed

Wang said General Secretary Xi Jinping's successful state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in June pointed out the direction for the development of China-DPRK relations in the new era, Xinhua reported, and he also briefed the WPK delegation on the fifth plenary session of the 20th CPC Central Committee. Kim Song Nam said the DPRK is ready to work with China to follow the will of the top leaders of the two parties and the two countries, and make unremitting efforts to develop friendly relations between the DPRK and China, Xinhua reported.

A repair job after the Russia tilt

The meeting follows months of steady contact between the two sides, AnewZ reported: Wang visited Pyongyang in April, his first trip to North Korea in seven years, and held talks with his counterpart Choe Son Hui; last month Xi wrote to Kim Jong Un saying China is ready to carry forward the traditional friendship, consolidate mutual political trust, expand practical cooperation and maintain close communication. Relations faced strains in 2024 as North Korea deepened its ties with Russia, AnewZ reported, but the two sides have moved to restore their longstanding relationship since.

The most visible step was Kim Jong Un's own trip: last month he crossed into the Chinese border city of Dandong using the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge, a crossing an expert quoted by AnewZ said has resolved a major bottleneck in trade logistics, pointing to a renewed push by both sides to strengthen economic ties. The bridge, completed in 2014 but unused for more than a decade, links Dandong with Sinuiju and is expected to carry heavy trucks and container traffic.

What happens next

China hosts the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19, and US President Donald Trump has said a meeting with Kim Jong Un is possible there, AnewZ reported. Whether Beijing's party-to-party warmth translates into expanded trade through the new bridge — and how it balances against Pyongyang's military alignment with Moscow — are the questions the next round of visits will answer. No new agreements from Thursday's meeting were announced in the Xinhua or Yonhap accounts.