N. Korea′s Kim says ties with China put on ′new high stage′ in message to Xi

▲ This image, captured from North Korea's state-run TV network on Sept. 6, 2025, shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (L) and Chinese Presient Xi Jinping attending a banquet, hosted by the Chinese leader, the previous day after they held summit talks in Beijing. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

NK leader-China

N. Korea's Kim says ties with China put on 'new high stage' in message to Xi

SEOUL, March 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has assessed relations between North Korea and China as being put on a "new high stage" in his message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pyongyang's state media reported Saturday.

Kim made the remarks in a reply sent to Xi the previous day, expressing his "deep" thanks to the Chinese leader for congratulating him on his recent reelection as president of the state affairs commission at a key parliamentary meeting, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"I am pleased to note that the traditional DPRK-China relations are being put on a new high stage in keeping with the aspiration and desire of the two parties and the peoples of the two countries," Kim said in the message.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.

The North's leader pledged to "continue to develop in depth the DPRK-China relations of friendship and cooperation with socialism as the core," the message read.

On Thursday, Xi sent a message congratulating Kim on his reelection as president of the North's top policy guidance body for a third consecutive term. The Chinese leader called the North-China relations a "valuable asset," reaffirming Beijing's "unwavering policy" to advance its traditional ties with Pyongyang.

Kim and Xi held their first summit talks in more than six years in Beijing last September on the occasion of China's military parade. The talks came as the two nations appear to be making efforts to restore their ties, which are seen as strained by the North's deepening military cooperation with Russia.

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