China, North Korea mark 75 years of ties with pledge for ‘new era’ in exchanges
Latest goodwill messages between leaders come amid speculation of strains caused by differences over North Korea’s nuclear programme.
In an exchange of messages, Chinese President Xi Jinping told North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un that the two countries had “marched hand in hand” over the decades to strengthen exchanges and cooperation and promote socialism, according to state news agency Xinhua.
They had also “collaborated closely” on advancing regional peace and stability and safeguarding international fairness and justice, Xi noted.
“Under the new era and new situation, China is willing to work with the DPRK to … strengthen strategic communication and coordination, deepen friendly exchanges and cooperation, and continue to write a new chapter of the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK,” Xi said, referring to North Korea by its official title, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
He added that China wished to jointly promote the steady and long-term development of the two countries’ socialist cause and to better benefit their peoples.
North Korea was among the first group of countries to establish diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, formalising ties just five days after the PRC’s founding in October 1949.
