North Korean state media on the 11th published congratulatory letters exchanged between Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. In his letter, Xi Jinping stated that regardless of how the international situation evolves, China's commitment to traditional friendship with North Korea will not change.
According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim Jong Un wrote in his congratulatory letter to Xi Jinping that the friendship and cooperation between North Korea and China have been elevated to a “new strategic level.”
North Korean Premier Kim Tok Hun arrived in Beijing on the 10th, beginning a three-day visit during which he will attend events commemorating the 65th anniversary of the signing of the “China-North Korea Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance Treaty.”
Last month, Xi Jinping personally visited Pyongyang, marking his first trip to North Korea in seven years. During the visit, he and Kim Jong Un agreed to expand cooperation between the two countries in the political, economic, and cultural fields.
The “China-North Korea Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance Treaty” was signed on July 11, 1961, and remains China's only valid bilateral mutual defense treaty to this day.
In his congratulatory letter, Xi Jinping stated: “No matter how the international situation changes, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government will continue to attach great importance to the traditional friendship between China and North Korea, firmly support the socialist cause in North Korea under the leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Un, and resolutely safeguard the common interests of both countries as well as a favorable strategic environment.”