North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has returned home after a day trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong, state news agency Xinhua has reported, following a symbolic crossing over a newly opened bridge, Al Jazeera reports.
Kim was accompanied during his visit on Saturday by China’s fourth-highest-ranked official, Wang Huning, who conveyed “cordial greetings and best wishes” from Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to Xinhua.
The visit came about a week after the New Yalu River Bridge linking the two countries was officially opened, 12 years after its completion, deepening economic ties between the Asian giant and its small, nuclear-armed neighbour.
Kim’s visit also coincided with the eve of the anniversary of China’s entry into the 1950–1953 Korean War.
Kim and Wang visited a Korean War memorial in Dandong, where the North Korean leader paid tribute to Chinese soldiers who fought alongside North Korea during the conflict, Xinhua reported.
The two also toured a local auto factory and pledged to strengthen bilateral relations.
Pyongyang “stands ready to work with China to carry forward their historical friendship and expand their practical cooperation,” Kim said, according to Xinhua.
Wang later accompanied Kim to the new bridge to bid farewell to the North Korean leader.
Analysts say the trip reflects Kim’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, as he seeks to align Pyongyang with Beijing and Moscow in a united front against the United States, in what he portrays as a “new Cold War”.
