North Korean media reported on Friday that dictator Kim Jong-un sent a message to his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, congratulating Xi for achieving “victory” over the Wuhan coronavirus.
Kim’s timing was a little awkward since Xi had just admitted to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders the previous day that the coronavirus threat has not been neutralized in China.
South Korea’s Yonhap News on Friday quoted a North Korean state media report of Kim’s congratulatory message to Xi:
In the message, Kim “congratulated him, highly appreciating that he is seizing a chance of victory in the war against the unprecedented epidemic,” according to the Korean Central News Agency.
“Kim Jong-un wished Xi Jinping good health, expressing conviction that the Chinese party and people would cement the successes made so far and steadily expand them and thus win a final victory under the wise guidance of Xi Jinping,” it added.
It did not specify when and how the message has been delivered to the Chinese leader.
The Pyongyang Times, a state outlet, noted that Kim made a point of congratulating himself for a splendid coronavirus response as well since North Korea risibly claims it has absolutely zero cases of the disease:
[Kim] was pleased with the successes made in China like his own, he said, wishing Xi Jinping good health, after expressing the belief that the Chinese Party and people would cement the successes already made and steadily expand them and thus win a final victory under the wise leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping.
Another North Korean state media report at KCNA, the communist newswire service, found the regime in Pyongyang “intensifying” what it described as “anti-epidemic work,” even though the regime officially claims it has no epidemic to deal with:
The emergency anti-epidemic headquarters at all levels are intensifying the control and guidance on quarantine, lock-down, inspection and sterilization to thoroughly check the inroads of COVID-19 while making exact demands for preventing any factors that may lead to other infectious diseases at the turn of the seasons.
Officials of the Party and power organs, working people’s organizations and in the field of public health and hygienic and anti-epidemic work across the country are intensifying the hygienic information service, medical observation, education and control to let the working people and residents keep a high sense of awareness and consistency in action with utmost care.
The Ministry of Public Health has established the state emergency anti-epidemic information system and stockpiled materials necessary for emergency anti-epidemic work to the maximum while actively pushing ahead with the development of vaccine against the virus.
As positive state efforts are being directed to agriculture, preventive measures are being taken for the people aiding farming.
South Korean analysts quoted by Yonhap interpreted the message as Kim signaling to Xi that political and economic cooperation between their two countries can resume as soon as the coronavirus threat recedes sufficiently. There was some speculation early on that the Wuhan pandemic could create some hard feelings between Pyongyang and Beijing, but Kim seems intent on stressing that their relationship has not been damaged.
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