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China’s Xi, North Korea’s Kim pledge to boost ties at rare Pyongyang summit
China’s President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have pledged to deepen their cooperation, according to state media, as Xi made a rare visit to Pyongyang.
During a summit late on Monday, Xi told Kim he aimed to drive progress in ties, and both leaders agreed to strive for closer strategic communication, the official KCNA news agency reported on Tuesday
Kim, for his part, affirmed that North Korea and China will maintain their friendship as “the most important top-priority strategic work”, the KCNA reported.
Kim called Xi “the greatest state guest”, saying he views the fact that Xi chose North Korea as a destination for his first foreign travel this year as “the most encouraging support” to North Korea, according to KCNA.
Kim also reiterated Pyongyang’s support for Beijing’s “one China principle”, a reference to Beijing’s official position that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. Kim and Xi also discussed international and regional issues and reached a broad agreement on strengthening strategic coordination to safeguard their shared interests, KCNA said.
China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday that Xi expressed China’s willingness to expand cooperation in a wide range of areas, including trade, agriculture, construction and technology.
Xi said the two countries should strengthen strategic cooperation and firmly safeguard their respective sovereignty and security interests, according to the report.
It was Xi’s first visit to North Korea in seven years. Xi and Kim last met in Beijing in September after viewing a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders.
Kim welcomed Xi with a red carpet, guard of honour and a 21-gun salute. The two leaders, accompanied by their wives and senior officials, attended a performance of Chinese and North Korean songs before Kim hosted a banquet for the Chinese delegation.
Xi marked the occasion – the 65th anniversary of the neighbours’ friendship treaty – by declaring that relations had reached “a new historical starting point”, according to KCNA.
It was not immediately clear if the leaders plan further talks on Tuesday, when South Korean media said Xi is likely to visit the Sino-Korean Friendship Tower in Pyongyang, which commemorates Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War in the 1950s.
The two sides often describe their relationship as one forged in blood, in a reference to the Chinese intervention in the Korean War. But mistrust has strained ties in recent years, particularly after China backed international sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear programme.
“China is now trying to reassert its influence over a strategically important partner, which has increasingly turned to Russia for oil and aid in return for North Korean soldiers and weapons [in the war on Ukraine],” said Al Jazeera’s Jack Barton, reporting from Seoul.
Kim is eager to keep China close despite his warming ties with Russia, he said.
“Kim no doubt knows that Russian leverage will probably run out if and when the Ukraine war ends because Russia will no longer need North Korean troops or weapons,” Barton added. “Survival for North Korea depends on China.”
Experts said Xi would use China’s position as North Korea’s dominant trading partner to keep Pyongyang within its orbit.
“The North Korean military-industrial complex is now much more intertwined with the Russian one than the Chinese one,” he told Al Jazeera, describing the visit as an attempt by Xi “to remind the North Koreans who their main trading partner is”.
Young added that Xi was also likely to use the trip to expand Chinese tourism to North Korea, as part of what he called “red tourism” based on fostering revolutionary nostalgia tied to the Korean War era.
Separately, North Korean media did not say whether Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons programme or relations with the United States figured in Xi-Kim talks.
Before Xi’s arrival, Kim announced plans to increase nuclear production capacity exponentially. North Korea’s weapons programme has driven closer defence ties between the US, Japan and South Korea, something that Beijing has opposed.
Al Jazeera’s Katrina Yu, reporting from Beijing, noted the conspicuous absence of denuclearisation from the agenda. Yu said the state media reports in Beijing and Pyongyang show that the two leaders are sending a clear message that their relationship is stronger than ever.
“North Korea is also a priority for Xi, given that he’s hosted dozens of world leaders this year, including Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. But this is the first time he’s actually left China to meet another leader. Both sides also talked about deeper cooperation. One specific line by Chinese state media really said it all, that China is going to help North Korea move towards modernisation,” she said.
“China is really using the carrot more than the stick approach, moving closer to Pyongyang and emphasising a warming of ties at a time when it’s increasing its rivalry with the United States.”
[Aljazeera]
Leg-spinner Mason Crane could play for England for the first time in eight years after being recalled for the one-day international tri-series in Pakistan.
The 29-year-old won his only Test cap against Australia in Sydney in 2018 and is now given an opportunity in the series which also involves Sri Lanka next month.
Crane, who also played two T20 internationals in 2017, could also push his case in the fight to be England’s number one spinner in Test cricket.
Sam Curran and Adil Rashid both return after injuries, and uncapped pair James Coles and Henry Crocombe are included.
Jos Buttler is out with the hamstring injury he sustained last week, while Jacob Bethell is continuing his recovery from knee surgery.
Brydon Carse, who is under an investigation from the Cricket Regulator following an incident outside a nightclub in Derby in August, remains absent.
England are on a diet of white-ball cricket until three Tests in South Africa in December as they build up to the 50-over World Cup in southern Africa next year.
The tri-series in Pakistan involves the three teams taking part playing each other twice, with the top two advancing to the final. Following the trip to Pakistan, England play three one-day internationals and five T20s in Australia in November.
As England continue to shape their backroom staff following the arrival of Stephen Fleming as Test coach, Jeetan Patel, Mike Yardy, David Saker and Carl Hopkinson will assist white-ball head coach Brendon McCullum in Pakistan.
That means Marcus Trescothick, who took temporary charge of the Test team for the series against Pakistan in the home summer, misses the trip.
It is understood the make-up of the coaching staff is part of a plan to rotate the coaches – fielding coach Sarah Taylor and fast-bowling coach Tim Southee are also not going to Pakistan.
All of Trescothick, Taylor and Southee are likely to be part of England’s coaching team for other tours this winter.
England squad for tri-series in Pakistan:
Harry Brook (Yorkshire – captain), Gus Atkinson (Surrey), Sonny Baker (Hampshire), Tom Banton (Somerset), James Coles (Sussex), Jordan Cox (Essex), Mason Crane (Glamorgan), Henry Crocombe (Sussex), Sam Curran (Surrey), Liam Dawson (Hampshire), Ben Duckett (Nottinghamshire), Will Jacks (Surrey), Jamie Overton (Surrey), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Joe Root (Yorkshire), Josh Tongue (Nottinghamshire).
(BBC)
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I extend my heartfelt wishes to all the sons and daughters of our country for a Happy World Children’s Day – President
Children’s Day Message from President Anura Kumara Dissanayake:
“Children are the most valuable asset of a nation. Ensuring their physical and mental well-being and creating an environment conducive to their proper development is a primary responsibility of any government. Children’s imagination, aspirations and creativity will determine the shape and colour of the country tomorrow. The country we build for children must not merely be a country prepared to be handed over to them in the future; it must be a country that gives space to their dreams today, listens to their voices and provides opportunities for them to realise their potential.
For the best interests of children, we are taking the necessary steps to ensure equal access to education, guidance, social protection, opportunities for sport, leisure and recreation, proper nutrition and access to healthcare, while protecting children from all forms of violence and discrimination and safeguarding their rights.
Race, religion, economic status, geographical background or any other circumstance should not be a barrier to any child’s education or proper development. Every child should have equal and fair opportunities to realise their potential, pursue their dreams and create the future they wish for themselves. To this end, we have already begun the process of reforming the education system in Sri Lanka, transforming it towards a skills-based system suited to the new world, one that does not place a burden on parents or cause distress to children.
Our aim is to ensure that no child is left behind in the new Sri Lanka we are building, and to provide every child with opportunities for development in a safe environment. It should be emphasised that the fundamental objective of all the programmes being implemented, from expanding educational scholarships to securing the future of children growing up in child development centres and those in need of care, is to create a dignified and secure tomorrow for every child in the country.
It is the aspiration of every parent to give their children a better life than the one they themselves experienced. We are currently steering the country’s economy towards a correct and stable direction in order to provide children with a safe and happy childhood, free from the shadows of an unstable economy. At the same time, we have launched the national operation “A Nation United” (Ratama Ekata), bringing everyone together to free the younger generation from the menace of illicit drugs.
At a time when we are working towards the goal of building a safe and better country for children, I greatly appreciate the initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs in organising this year’s World Children’s Day celebrations under the theme “Strong Minds – Enriched Children”, declaring a National Children’s Day Week and conducting a range of meaningful programmes aimed at strengthening children’s rights, well-being, protection, education and freedom.
I extend my heartfelt wishes to all the sons and daughters of our country for a Happy World Children’s Day”.
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