According to an article Duowei News published, on March 18, following Xi’s appointment to the new presidency, in section V of the paper, People’s Daily published a number of greeting letters from foreign leaders. The greeting letter from Kim Jong-un was placed on the top. Compared to the greeting letter in 2013, the number of words in the greeting letter from Kim Jong-un this time was only 111 words compared to 213 words in 2013. The content was also missing words such as “strengthening the close friendship between our two countries.” The article further commented that the existing neutral relationship between the two countries is a reflection of the existing trade relationship. In 2017, North Korea had a trade surplus due to the export of electricity to China in the amount of US$10.8 million compared to US$2.6 million in 2016. The article ended with the statement that, “On one hand, China is following the international community in imposing sanctions against North Korea. On the other hand, under the table, it is still assisting North Korea by buying electricity from them, which has enabled North Korea to make tens and millions of dollars. This could be the reason that Kim Jong-un is still sending warm wishes to Xi, although there was an obvious distance between the lines in his letter.”
Source: Duowei News, March 20, 2018
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