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| ▲ This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 5, 2025, shows North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping having talks in Beijing on the previous day on the sidelines of China's military parade. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap) |
NK leader-China
N. Korea's Kim vows to bolster bilateral ties in message to China's Xi
By Kim Soo-yeon
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has vowed to further strengthen the North's relations with China in his letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping, state media reported Friday.
Kim delivered the message Thursday, expressing his thanks for Xi's recent letter sent to celebrate the North's 80th anniversary on Oct. 10 of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
"It is our party and government's steadfast stance that we will carry forward traditional, cooperative relations between the North and China and further develop them," Kim was quoted as saying by the KCNA.
The North's leader also vowed to vigorously develop the bilateral relations in a bid to promote the welfare of the two nations' people and "safeguard the stability of the region and the world."
Kim has not directly commented on Korean Peninsula or Taiwan issues, but his message apparently meant North Korea will support China's stance on key regional issues and cooperate with Beijing in a way that will defend the two nations' interests.
In a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang last week in Pyongyang, North Korean Premier Pak Thae-song voiced the North's support for China's move to "firmly defend the core interests, including the Taiwan issue."
Kim traveled to Beijing last month to attend China's military parade and held his first talks with Xi in more than six years, signaling that ties have been restored after remaining strained by North Korea's close alignment with Russia.
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