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North Korea on Sunday firmly rejected US claims that Washington and Beijing share a goal of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, reaffirming its status as a nuclear-armed state a day before Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to visit Pyongyang.Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said US assertions that denuclearisation was reaffirmed during a recent China-US summit were “complete fabrication and false information,” according to a statement carried by state news agency KCNA.She said North Korea would never discuss what she called its “core sovereignty and security,” adding that the country’s nuclear weapons status was enshrined in its constitution and could not be reversed by what she termed to be unilateral US rhetoric.“The policy of continuously strengthening self-defensive nuclear war deterrence, as declared by the head of state, is an irreversible and final conclusion that must be executed unconditionally,” Kim said, dismissing denuclearisation as an “anachronistic dream.”Her comments came as Pyongyang criticised recent US and South Korean military activities, including Washington’s reported approval of arms exports to South Korea. Kim accused the United States and its allies of undermining regional security through arms buildups and military drills involving nuclear-capable forces.North Korea has repeatedly cited such actions as justification for expanding its nuclear arsenal, arguing it faces persistent external threats. Kim said the country would not remain “a passive onlooker” if what it called the regional balance of power was destabilised.The statement was issued one day before Xi’s expected visit to North Korea for talks with Kim Jong Un, his first trip to the country in nearly seven years. Analysts cited by AP said the visit was likely aimed at reinforcing China’s influence over Pyongyang, while avoiding direct pressure on denuclearisation.North Korea has focused on enlarging its nuclear capabilities since the collapse of high-stakes diplomacy between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in 2019. In recent days, state media reported that Kim Jong Un had visited nuclear materials and weapons factories, calling for an “exponential” expansion of nuclear forces and a sharp increase in missile production capacity.Reuters reported that Kim Yo Jong said North Korea would not tolerate threats and would never back down from its nuclear status, reiterating that US claims about denuclearisation discussions involving China were false.North Korea has increasingly aligned itself with Russia in recent years, including by supplying troops and conventional weapons for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, according to South Korean and US officials cited by AP. Pyongyang has received economic and other assistance from Russia in return, the officials said.
