China Premier Li Qiang to visit North Korea for ruling party anniversary

SEOUL/BEIJING: Chinese Premier Li Qiang will lead a Chinese delegation to North Korea to participate in celebrations of the 80th anniversary of its ruling party on Friday, North Korean state media KCNA reported.

China's foreign ministry confirmed Li's visit from October 9 to 11 in a separate announcement on Tuesday and said China is willing to take the opportunity to strengthen communication and deepen partnerships with North Korea.

A delegation from Russia's United Russia party, led by chairman Dmitry Medvedev, is also scheduled to attend the event commemorating the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea on Friday, KCNA reported earlier.

Last month, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un joined Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to attend a massive military parade in Beijing marking the 80th anniversary since Japan's defeat at the end of World War Two, a move seen to be aimed at bolstering Kim's diplomatic standing.

North Korea's Kim said on Tuesday in a letter congratulating Putin on his birthday that the alliance between the countries will not only contribute to developing bilateral relations but also to establishing a "just and multi-polarised world order".

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on Tuesday he hoped relations between North Korea and China develop in a way that contributes to denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula, in a phone call with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, according to Seoul's foreign ministry.

Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam will also attend North Korea's party anniversary event this week, in the first visit of a Vietnamese leader in nearly 20 years. Lam's trip comes after he visited South Korea, a major trading partner, in August as the first foreign guest hosted by President Lee Jae Myung.

"The Communist Party, state and people of Vietnam always attach importance to the development of the Vietnam-DPRK relations and have the will to develop in the future," the Communist Party of Vietnam said in a congratulatory letter to the Workers' Party of Korea, according to a separate report by KCNA on Tuesday.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

Laotian President Thongloun Sisoulith is also scheduled to visit North Korea this week.