BEIJING (AP) — China's Premier Li Qiang will go to North Korea this week in the highest-level visit by a Chinese leader since 2019.

Li will lead a government delegation from Thursday to Saturday to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the founding of North Korea's ruling party, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

China has long been the North Korean government's most important ally and source of support, though North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has sought to balance that in recent years by building ties with Russia. He has sent troops to help Moscow in its war against Ukraine.

Russia is sending former President Dmitri Medvedev to this week’s anniversary celebrations, North Korea’s official KCNA news agency said Monday.

A statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry called

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