North Korean leader Kim Jong Un sent Chinese President Xi Jinping greetings with what appeared to be restrained rhetoric that comes as Pyongyang moves closer to Russia and depends less on its long-time Asian ally.
Kim wished “the Chinese people greater success in building a modern socialist country,” in a reply message to Xi for his congratulations on North Korea’s birthday, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Sunday.
The 190-word dispatch had little of the florid language that had been a staple of their correspondence, which has declined significantly this year, according to an analysis by Seoul-based specialist service NK Pro. It noted three references of back-and-forth exchanges mentioned in state media this year between Xi and Kim, compared to 10 in 2023.
Descriptions of the bilateral relationship “are less exuberant,” NK Pro founder Chad O’Carroll wrote in the analysis. The cooler and more restrained language in letters this year compared to 2023 “indicates a palpable distance in the once-warm personal relationship between the two leaders.”
North Korea has often used the analogy of its ties to China being as close as “lips and teeth.” Its official media has frequently spoken of the “deep trust in and friendly feelings toward the fraternal people of China.”
Kim, meanwhile, has increased his exchanges with Russia over the past year. The U.S. and its partners said this has led to increased arms transfers, with Pyongyang sending millions of rounds of artillery and ballistic missiles to Russia to help President Vladimir Putin in his war on Ukraine.
In exchange, Russia sent aid that has supported North Korea’s economy and helped Kim advance his weapons programs, according to Seoul and Washington. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied the accusations despite evidence showing the arms transfers taking place.
The artillery alone is likely worth several billion dollars and the aid from Russia could represent the biggest boost to North Korea’s economy since Kim took power about a dozen years ago.
China has been North Korea’s biggest benefactor for large parts of the period after the end of the Cold War, providing an economic lifeline for Pyongyang.
This month, Russia dispatched Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu to Pyongyang for talks with Kim. North Korea later sent Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui to Russia for a rare trip abroad that included talks with her counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
Kim hosted Putin in June for the Russian leader’s first visit to Pyongyang in more than 20 years, where the two countries reached a deal to come to the other’s aid if attacked. The North Korean leader also pledged to “unconditionally support” Russia in its invasion of Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief has said supplies of North Korean ammunition to Moscow have been causing major headaches for his country’s defense, as Russia’s full-scale invasion grinds through its third year.
