'Our friendship will not change', Xi tells Kim during his visit to North Korea

Chinese president Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for a two-day state visit to North Korea, his first visit to the country in seven years.Xi is visiting North Korea at the invitation of Kim Jong Un, president of the State Affairs of North Korea.During talks with the North Korean leader China Daily reported Xi saying that China’s position on valuing its traditional friendship with North Korea would remain unchanged and pledged to work with Kim to keep bilateral relations moving forward.He said the two sides should strengthen top-level planning and strategic guidance to push ties to a higher level and deliver greater benefits to both countries and their peoples.Xi described China and North Korea as socialist states led by communist parties, saying their long-standing friendship was rooted in shared ideals, a common historical experience and strong political and emotional bonds.Regardless of changes in the international situation, Xi said China would continue to support North Korea’s socialist cause and safeguard the shared interests of the two countries.He said the two sides should draw lessons from the evolution of their relationship, seize opportunities arising from global shifts and inject new momentum into bilateral ties to contribute to regional peace and development.During the meeting, Xi outlined four proposals for advancing China–North Korea relations, including closer high-level exchanges, deeper political trust and broader cooperation across sectors.He said strategic guidance from the top leadership of both countries remained the greatest strength of bilateral relations and expressed readiness to maintain close communication with Kim.Noting that this year marks the 65th anniversary of the China–North Korea Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, Xi said both sides would hold commemorative events.The Chinese president also called for expanding cooperation in areas such as trade, agriculture, construction, science and technology, and healthcare, and for increasing people-to-people exchanges following the reopening of border crossings and transport links.Kim said Xi’s visit underscored the unbreakable nature of China–North Korea relations and reflected the importance China places on bilateral ties.He said the relationship was time-tested and grounded in shared ideals, adding that recent exchanges had delivered tangible benefits to both peoples.