North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed on Wednesday to continue strengthening ties with China, calling his recent summit with President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang a “historic occasion,” the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The comments came in a congratulatory message to Xi marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.
Kim told Xi that it was Pyongyang’s “steadfast stand” to steadily develop relations with Beijing. “It is the steadfast stand of our Party and government to steadily develop the DPRK‑China friendly relations with long and historical roots and with socialism as their core,” he said, according to KCNA.
He described the recent Pyongyang summit as a moment that deepened “comradely friendship and trust” and said the two leaders had reaffirmed an “unshakable will” to advance traditional bilateral ties. Kim added he stood ready to work with Xi to further develop North Korea–China “friendly and cooperative relations,” calling them “the common wealth of the peoples of the two countries.”
The message follows Xi’s rare visit to Pyongyang weeks earlier, when the leaders pledged to strengthen ties amid shifting geopolitical alignments. North Korean state media said Kim and Xi adopted a “far‑reaching blueprint” to make their relationship “the most powerful and strategic relations,” while Chinese state media reported Xi pushed for closer diplomatic, law‑enforcement and military cooperation.
Although Pyongyang has moved closer to Moscow-supplying troops and weapons for Russia’s war in Ukraine-China remains North Korea’s main economic partner. South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance says China accounted for nearly 98 percent of North Korea’s foreign trade in 2024.
The renewed public emphasis on Sino‑DPRK ties underscores Beijing and Pyongyang’s intent to deepen strategic and economic cooperation, a development with potential implications for regional security, trade flows and diplomatic relations across East Asia.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/kim-jong-un-vows-to-deepen-ties-with-china-in-message-to-xi-jinping-11710081#publisher=newsstand
Category:
Tags:
Publish Date: 2026-07-01 04:38:00
