Chinese, North Korean diplomats hold talks in Beijing

A high-level delegation from North Korea visited Beijing late last week, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Sunday.

Foreign Vice-Minister Sun Weidong met with his North Korean counterpart Pak Myong-ho on Friday, the ministry said in a statement.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on issues of common concern and agreed to "strengthen strategic communication and coordination" between their two countries, it added.

The last visit to China by a high-ranking North Korean official was in August 2019, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported, citing North Korean state news agency KCNA.

A delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong visited North Korea on Sept. 9 for the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea's official name.

The contacts between China and North Korea came after the Pyongyang administration's recent high-level talks with Russia.

North Korea closed all its borders to the outside world in March 2020 after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un traveled abroad for the first time in September and went to Russia's Amur region to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also visited Pyongyang in October and met with the North Korean leader.

The U.S.'s increased defense cooperation with South Korea and Japan against the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear program and guided missile tests may encourage strategic rapprochement between Russia, North Korea and China, say analysts.

They say the meeting between Kim and Putin could be a step towards military cooperation between the two countries.

Two Chinese and four Russian military aircraft entered the area declared by South Korea as an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) during a joint patrol flight last week, Yonhap reported.