N. Korea, Chinese diplomats use same flight, hotel

By Yi Whan-woo

Speculation is rampant that North Korea and China are seeking to revitalize their deteriorated ties after it was found that their top diplomats took the same flight to attend the ongoing ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Laos and are also staying at the same hotel.

Diplomatic sources said Monday that North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi flew with China Eastern Airlines from Kunming, China, before arriving in the Laotian capital of Vientiane, Sunday.

“I’ve been told that they greeted each other,” a source said.

The sources also said Ri and Wang checked in at the same hotel in Vientiane afterwards.

The two held a one-on-one meeting Monday on the sidelines of the ARF, a three-day security meeting that will run until Tuesday.

Analysts said the two Cold War allies deliberately booked the same flight and hotel for their foreign ministers to underscore the bilateral alliance amid a growing rivalry between the U.S. and China.

The annual ARF involves ASEAN member states as well as all members of the six-party talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear program. They are the two Koreas, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia.

The participants are expected to be divided over issues concerning the Washington-Beijing row. This includes the decision to deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery in South Korea, increasing pressure on North Korea in line with U.N. Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2270 and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) ruling against China in its territorial claim over most of the South China Sea.

“I think Pyongyang and Beijing discussed in advance and carefully planned the itinerary for Ri and Wang,” said An Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies. “They apparently want to show they are on the same side concerning a range of issues to be discussed at the ARF.”

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, agreed.

Citing that Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Li Jinjun accompanied Ri on his departure, Yang said “such courtesy is very rare and politically motivated.”

“It can be said North Korea and China are accelerating efforts to restore bilateral ties,” he said.