Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he is ready to work with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to move bilateral ties toward “long-term, strong and stable” development, as the two countries seek to deepen their traditional partnership amid rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula and Pyongyang’s growing military cooperation with Russia.According to news agency AFP, Xi gave the message in a letter dated July 1, thanking Kim for the congratulatory message on the occasion of the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China.The message was published by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Sunday.Xi said Kim’s message reflected the “deep and warm feelings” of the North Korean leader, the ruling Workers’ Party and the North Korean people toward China.
Xi vows to deepen strategic partnership
Emphasizing the historical ties between the two neighbours, Xi said the Communist Party of China and the Workers’ Party of Korea had stood together in the struggle for national independence and carried forward the socialist cause from generation to generation.“I stand ready to guide relevant sectors and regions of the two sides to fully implement the important common understanding achieved between us and move China-DPRK relations toward long-term, strong and stable development,” Xi said, using the initials of North Korea’s official name.He also thanked Kim for the “warm and friendly” hospitality he extended during his recent state visit to Pyongyang.The exchange follows Xi’s rare visit to North Korea last month, during which the two leaders pledged to strengthen bilateral ties as regional security tensions rise.
Kim had described the summit as a ‘historic occasion’
The letter was Xi’s response to Kim’s earlier congratulatory message on the occasion of the anniversary of China’s ruling Communist Party.Kim described the recent summit in Pyongyang as a “historic occasion” that deepened mutual trust and reaffirmed the two countries’ “unwavering will” to strengthen their traditional friendship.Kim also said it is North Korea’s “firm stance” to continue developing 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 as North Korea has significantly expanded security cooperation with Russia by sending troops and ammunition to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.Despite Pyongyang’s growing military partnership with Moscow, China remains North Korea’s most important economic partner.According to AFP, citing South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, China is expected to account for about 98 percent of North Korea’s foreign trade in 2024.During Xi’s visit to Pyongyang in June, the two leaders adopted what North Korean state media described as a “far-reaching blueprint” for bilateral relations and pledged to elevate their traditional friendship into the “most powerful and strategic relationship.”Xi praised relations by saying that China and North Korea are “linked by mountains and rivers and share a common destiny”, while Kim reaffirmed support for Beijing’s “One China” policy and described China as Pyongyang’s top diplomatic priority.