China and North Korea Pledge to Steer Relations Towards Long-Term Stability

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he is ready to work with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to steer bilateral relations towards long-term and stable development, according to North Korean state media on Sunday. The statement was made by Xi in response to a congratulatory message from Kim Jong Un on the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Xi expressed his sincere thanks to Kim and noted that the Workers’ Party of Korea and the CCP are both ruling parties rooted in Marxism. ‘I am ready to lead China-North Korea relations towards long-term, healthy, and stable development, and thereby promote the stable and sustainable development of the socialist cause in both countries,’ Xi’s message read. Xi made a two-day state visit to Pyongyang in June, his first trip to North Korea in seven years. This year, North Korea and China also commemorate the 65th anniversary of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, which was signed on 11 July.