Senior N. Korean party official visiting China: KCNA

What happened: Senior North Korean party official Kim Song-nam arrived in China with a party delegation at the invitation of China's Communist Party Central Committee, KCNA confirmed. Key numbers: Visit came 10 days after Kim Jong-un's trip to Dandong. Xie Chuntao's delegation arrived in Pyongyang on Monday. Why it matters: The exchange visits indicate the two countries are stepping up high-level exchanges and traditional ties after relations chilled amid Pyongyang's closer ties with Russia over the Ukraine war.

Senior North Korean party official Kim Song-nam arrived in China with a party delegation at the invitation of China's Communist Party Central Committee, KCNA confirmed.

The exchange visits indicate the two countries are stepping up high-level exchanges and traditional ties after relations chilled amid Pyongyang's closer ties with Russia over the Ukraine war.