File photo: Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (Image source: AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he is ready to work with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to guide bilateral relations toward “long-term, sound and stable” development, as the two countries seek to deepen their traditional partnership amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and Pyongyang’s expanding military cooperation with Russia.According to Agence France-Presse, Xi conveyed the message in a letter dated July 1, in which he thanked Kim for the congratulatory message he sent on the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.The message was published on Sunday by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).Xi said Kim’s message reflects the “deep and warm feelings” of the North Korean leader, the ruling Workers’ Party and the North Korean people toward China.
Xi pledges to deepen strategic partnership
Emphasizing the historical relationship between the two neighbors, Xi said that the Communist Party of China and the Workers’ Party of Korea have stood together in the struggle for national independence and advanced the socialist cause across generations.“I am willing to guide relevant sectors and regions of both sides towards fully implementing the important common understanding reached between us and leading China-DPRK relations to sound, stable and long-term development,” Xi said, using the initials of North Korea’s official name.
He also thanked Kim for the “enthusiastic and cordial” hospitality he extended during his recent official visit to Pyongyang.The exchange comes after Xi’s rare visit to North Korea last month, during which the two leaders pledged to strengthen bilateral relations as regional security tensions continue to escalate.
Kim described the summit as a “historic occasion.”
The message was Xi’s response to Kim’s congratulatory message sent earlier on the anniversary of the founding of China’s ruling Communist Party.Kim described the recent summit in Pyongyang as a “historic occasion” that deepened mutual trust and reaffirmed the “firm will of the two countries” to strengthen their traditional friendship.Kim also said that North Korea’s “steadfast position” is to further develop relations with Beijing and pledged to further expand friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.
China remains North Korea’s largest economic partner
The latest exchange comes even as North Korea significantly expands its security cooperation with Russia by sending troops and munitions to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.Despite the growing military partnership between Pyongyang and Moscow, China remains North Korea’s most important economic partner.According to Agence France-Presse, citing South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, China will account for nearly 98 percent of North Korea’s foreign trade in 2024.During Xi’s June visit to Pyongyang, the two leaders adopted what North Korean state media described as a “long-term plan” for bilateral relations and pledged to elevate their traditional friendship to the “strongest and most strategic relationship.”Xi also praised the relationship, saying China and North Korea “are bound by mountains and rivers and share a common destiny,” while Kim reiterated his support for Beijing’s “one China” policy and described China as Pyongyang’s top diplomatic priority.
