BEIJING/PYONGYANG, April 10, (V7N) – China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has criticised U.S. pressure on North Korea, state media in Pyongyang reported Friday, as he pledged to strengthen ties with the isolated nuclear state during a two-day visit.  

At a banquet in Pyongyang’s Kumsusan State Guesthouse on Thursday, Wang praised North Korea’s “new achievements in socialist construction” despite what he described as “intensifying schemes of isolation and strangulation” from the United States and Western powers, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).  

The visit, Wang’s first since 2019, comes shortly after China and North Korea resumed transport links suspended during the Covid-19 pandemic. Meeting Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, Wang said Beijing was “willing to work with North Korea” to enhance dialogue, expand cooperation, and deepen cultural exchanges, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported.  

The trip coincides with a renewed push by U.S. Presidet Donald Trump’s administration to revive high-level talks with Pyongyang, with a potential summit under discussion during Trump’s planned visit to Beijing in May.  

Choe reaffirmed Pyongyang’s “consistent policy” of maintaining friendly relations with Beijing, highlighting a tradition of unity and cooperation rooted in socialism.  

END/WD/RH