China, North Korea Vow to Deepen Strategic Ties, Cooperation

PYONGYANG: China and North Korea have pledged to further strengthen their long-standing friendship and deepen cooperation across multiple sectors, as Chinese Premier Li Qiang met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang on Thursday.

Premier Li, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, conveyed President Xi Jinping’s greetings and warm congratulations on the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK).

Li reaffirmed that Beijing views its relationship with Pyongyang from a strategic and long-term perspective, emphasizing that consolidating and advancing their traditional friendship remains a cornerstone of China’s foreign policy. He said China is ready to work with North Korea to expand high-level exchanges, enhance strategic communication, and promote new progress in bilateral ties.

Highlighting the recent visit of Kim Jong Un to China during the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, Li said both leaders had drawn a clear roadmap for the future of China-DPRK relations.

Li also underscored China’s readiness to deepen practical cooperation, strengthen coordination in regional and global affairs, and jointly uphold true multilateralism to promote a more just and equitable international order.

Kim Jong Un, for his part, extended warm greetings to President Xi and lauded China’s achievements in socialist construction under his leadership. He described DPRK-China relations as “unbreakable”, reaffirming Pyongyang’s firm commitment to strengthening cooperation with Beijing regardless of changes in the international environment.

Kim reiterated North Korea’s firm support for the one-China principle, opposition to “Taiwan independence” and external interference, and endorsement of China’s stance on Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Xizang.

He added that Pyongyang is ready to maintain close high-level exchanges, enhance collaboration in diverse fields, and work with Beijing to advance the socialist causes of both nations, bringing greater benefits to their peoples and contributing to regional peace and stability.