Chinese Premier Li Qiang arrived in North Korea Thursday to join dictator Kim Jong-un for a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the country’s communist “Workers’ Party of Korea.” The visit underscores China’s attempt to maintain its strategic position in Pyongyang amid North Korea’s deepening alliance with Russia.
Li, the second-highest ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party, is the most senior Chinese official to attend such an event in North Korea in over a decade. He joins a delegation of authoritarian allies, including envoys from Russia, Vietnam, Laos, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Iran. The Kremlin’s representative is Dmitry Medvedev, a close confidant of Vladimir Putin, highlighting Russia’s elevated role as North Korea’s top geopolitical partner.
Li described his visit as a “goodwill” mission, calling China and North Korea “socialist neighbors connected by mountains and rivers” and praising their “profound traditional friendship.” His rhetoric contrasted with growing evidence of China’s diminished influence in Pyongyang since the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s rising prominence.
Kim Jong-un has recently shifted strategic loyalty toward Moscow. Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense pact in June 2024, during Putin’s first visit to the country in 20 years. Since then, Pyongyang has offered direct military support to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including troops deployed to Kursk, as confirmed in a joint statement from Putin’s ruling party, United Russia, and the Workers’ Party of Korea.
The parade, scheduled for Friday, serves as a visual reaffirmation of North Korea’s alignment with global adversaries of the West. According to analysts, placing Kim Jong-un between China’s Li and Russia’s Medvedev is intended to signal his leadership position among anti-Western powers in Asia.
North Korea’s propaganda arm, KCNA, has downplayed Li’s arrival but heavily promoted Russian cooperation and support. In contrast to China’s ceremonial presence, Moscow’s role is being amplified through defense and economic agreements. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received Kim’s “unconditional” support during a visit in July, and Putin reportedly consulted Kim ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Kim also used the anniversary to deliver a speech praising the Workers’ Party’s communist legacy and calling on North Koreans to continue building “socialism and communism.” As is customary, KCNA claimed the audience erupted in cheers at the conclusion of his address.
The attendance of socialist and authoritarian regimes at the event further signals Kim’s strategy to defy Western pressure and assert legitimacy on the world stage. With Chinese influence waning, and Russia expanding its military and diplomatic footprint, the North Korean regime continues to realign itself with a bloc determined to challenge U.S. interests globally.
