China, DPRK reaffirm friendship, vow closer ties as top leaders hold talks

BEIJING -- The top leaders of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday reaffirmed the long-standing friendship between the two neighboring countries, pledging further development of bilateral relations.

The messages came as Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Chinese president, held talks with Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, in Beijing.

General Secretary Kim Jong-un came to China to attend commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. This demonstrated the DPRK's firm resolve to safeguard the outcomes of the victory in World War II, and provided an important opportunity for the two parties and two countries to further develop friendly and cooperative relations, Xi said.

China and the DPRK are good neighbors, good friends and good comrades who share a common destiny and stand by each other, he said.

The CPC and the Chinese government highly value the traditional friendship between the two countries and are ready to maintain, consolidate and develop sound China-DPRK ties, Xi said.

China is willing to strengthen high-level exchanges and strategic communication, deepen exchanges of experience in party and state governance, and enhance mutual understanding and friendship with the DPRK, he noted.

Xi said that China and the DPRK should enhance strategic coordination in international and regional affairs to safeguard their common interests.

Regarding the Korean Peninsula issue, he said that China has always maintained an objective and impartial stance, and stands ready to continue strengthening coordination with the DPRK so as to strive to maintain peace and stability of the peninsula.

Kim, for his part, said that the elder generations of leaders of the DPRK and China, during the war of resistance against Japanese aggression, forged a profound bond, which the two countries are obliged to pass down through generations.

No matter how the international landscape evolves, the friendship between the DPRK and China will remain unchanged, and it is the DPRK's firm commitment to continuously deepen and develop bilateral relations, he added.

The DPRK is willing to work with China to strengthen exchanges at various levels between the two parties and two countries, and conduct experience sharing in party building, economic development and other fields, so as to support the development of the party and the country, Kim said.

He noted that the DPRK is also ready to deepen mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation with China to achieve greater results.

Xi also had a chat over tea with Kim and hosted a banquet.

Senior Chinese officials Cai Qi and Wang Yi were present at the events.