Xi returns from Pyongyang after talks with Kim

Chinese President Xi Jinping returned to Beijing on Tuesday after a two-day state visit to Pyongyang, where he held talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and pledged to strengthen bilateral relations.

During meetings in the North Korean capital, the two leaders agreed to deepen strategic communication, expand practical cooperation and strengthen people-to-people exchanges, according to Chinese state media, News.Az reports, citing Anadolu Ajansı.

Xi said China and North Korea would work together to advance their traditional friendship and promote the high-level development of relations between the two countries.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by Kim, Xi said relations had reached a “new historical starting point” as the two countries marked the 65th anniversary of the China-DPRK Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance. He stressed the importance of stronger high-level exchanges and closer coordination on regional and international issues.

Kim described Xi’s visit as a demonstration of the importance Beijing places on ties with Pyongyang and said both sides had reached an important consensus on advancing relations and contributing to regional peace and stability.

The visit, Xi’s first to North Korea in nearly seven years, comes amid changing geopolitical dynamics in Northeast Asia and increased international attention on Pyongyang’s relations with Beijing and Moscow.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova