Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a ceremony for the signing of a joint statement following their summit in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People on May 20, 2026. (Reuters/Yonhap)
China and Russia have reasserted their opposition to the policy of isolating North Korea and placing it under pressure while emphasizing peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. The two countries also agreed to continue cooperation on development projects in the Tumen River basin.China’s state-run Xinhua News reported on Thursday that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on these matters in a “a joint statement on further strengthening comprehensive strategic coordination and deepening good-neighborliness and friendly cooperation” that they signed after their summit in Beijing the day before.In the joint statement, the two countries asserted the importance of close communication and cooperation on peninsular issues and stressed that maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and working toward a political resolution to regional problems serve the common interests of countries in the region, as well as the interests of the international community.China and Russia also voiced their opposition to threats to North Korean security taking the forms of diplomatic isolation, economic sanctions and military pressure. They also urged countries involved to refrain from raising regional tensions, incentivizing military buildup or politicizing issues and to take meaningful steps toward eliminating the risk of war.The two countries said that given the geopolitical reality, all parties ought to seek balance and resolve their concerns through political and diplomatic means on the basis of respect for each other’s sovereignty.China and Russia said they would continue communicating and working together closely as they play a constructive role in finding political solutions to issues on the Korean Peninsula, establishing durable peace there and maintaining long-term stability in Northeast Asia.The two countries’ statement did not make any references to North Korea’s denuclearization.Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said during a press conference that same day that China’s position and policy on the Korean Peninsula issue “maintains consistency and continuity.”“We will play a constructive role in advancing the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue in our own way,” he said. In their joint statement, the two sides expressed their intention to continue cooperating on the Greater Tumen Initiative, a project for developing the Tumen River basin in partnership with North Korea, where the river is known as the Tuman.The Greater Tumen Initiative is a multilateral cooperative initiative to develop transportation, logistics, energy and tourism on the lower stretches of the Tumen River with input from South Korea, North Korea, Mongolia, China and Russia. That was one of the projects South Korean President Lee Jae Myung was talking about when he asked for Xi’s assistance and services as a mediator during their summit in January.Following Xi’s summit with Putin and his earlier summit with US President Donald Trump, speculation is mounting that Xi may pay a visit to North Korea soon.When reporters asked whether Xi is planning such a visit, Guo said, “China and the DPRK are friendly socialist neighbors. The two parties and two countries have a long-term tradition of friendly exchanges, which serves the interests of the two sides as well as peace and stability in the region.”But the spokesperson stipulated that “for your specific question, I have no information to offer at the moment.”By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporterPlease direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
