International: On Friday afternoon, July 10, Chinese President Xi Jinping, also General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), met with visiting North Korean Premier Park Thae-song at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

During the meeting, Xi Jinping said that during his visit to North Korea last month, he had held discussions with General Secretary Kim Jong Un on consolidating and advancing the traditional friendship between the two countries, enriching its significance in the new era, and providing strategic guidance for the future development of bilateral relations.

Xi noted that the friendship between China and North Korea, passed down from generation to generation, the shared pursuit of common goals, and mutual support have always been the distinctive features of their relations.

He said the China–North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance has provided an important political and legal foundation for consolidating the wartime friendship forged through the sacrifices and shared struggles of the two peoples.

Xi added that he and Kim Jong Un had agreed to take the 65th anniversary of the signing of the treaty as an opportunity to carry forward the traditional friendship between the two countries and inject new vitality into bilateral relations in the new historical era.

Xi Jinping said the current international situation is undergoing profound changes and remains complex and volatile. He stressed that China and North Korea should strengthen strategic confidence and accelerate the implementation of the important consensus reached with Kim Jong Un, so that relations between the two countries and their ruling parties can continue to advance with the times.

He said such efforts would help consolidate the socialist systems of both countries and promote their respective modernization processes.

Xi emphasized the need to steadily advance practical cooperation, strengthen the foundation of friendship between the peoples of the two countries, and encourage young generations to remember the historic achievements of the Chinese People`s Volunteers through their shared historical memories.

He also called for strengthening strategic cooperation, safeguarding each other`s sovereignty, security and development interests, and creating a favorable external environment for pursuing socialist development paths suited to their respective national conditions.

Premier Park Thae-song first conveyed the sincere greetings of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to President Xi Jinping.

Park congratulated China on the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China and praised the significant achievements made by the Chinese people under Xi Jinping`s leadership.

He said North Korea would make every effort to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, support China`s core interests, including issues related to Taiwan, and work to further advance unity, friendship and the development of the socialist cause between North Korea and China.

Source: Lily, Touhid and Swarna, China Media Group (CMG).