This photo from the website of the Chinese Embassy in North Korea shows a reception being held at the embassy in Pyongyang on July 22, 2025, to mark the 98th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 23 (Korea Bizwire) — North Korea and China have called for a bilateral military friendship and unity in a banquet held in Pyongyang to celebrate the 98th anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the North’s state media report showed Wednesday.
China’s top envoy to Pyongyang, Wang Yajun, hosted the event at the Chinese Embassy the previous day, attended by the North’s defense, foreign and ruling party officials, as well as foreign delegates and defense attaches based in the North, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The banquet came as North Korea’s ties with China, the North’s traditional ally, showed some signs of improvement after their bilateral relationship remained cool amid Pyongyang’s close alignment with Moscow over Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Participants were quoted as calling for the combat friendship and unity of the militaries of North Korea and China and wishing for the continuous development of the PLA, which celebrates its founding anniversary Aug. 1.
North Korea has carried congratulatory messages or jointly held banquets with the Chinese Embassy to mark the anniversary.
It marked the first time since 2019 that the KCNA carried a report on a ceremony marking the Chinese military anniversary. Last year, Beijing said events celebrating the anniversary were held at overseas missions in South Korea, Germany and Switzerland, but it did not mention whether such an event was held in the North.
Earlier this month, Pyongyang and Beijing held reciprocal receptions to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the signing of a mutual defense treaty between the two nations.
(Yonhap)
