China, Pyongyang mark 70th anniversary of ties

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday exchanged congratulations on the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.

In his congratulatory message, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, said that on behalf of the CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people, he extends warm congratulations to Kim, and via Kim to the Workers’ Party of Korea ( WPK), the DPRK government and the DPRK people.

The establishment of China-DPRK diplomatic ties 70 years ago bore epoch-making significance in the history of the two parties’ and the two countries’ relations, Xi said.

Noting that the DPRK is among the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with China, Xi said that over the past 70 years, under the care and joint efforts of successive leaders of the two parties and two countries, the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK has stood the test of time and changes in the international landscape, grown stronger with the lapse of time, and taken roots in the hearts of the two peoples.

The two countries, added Xi, have reaped plentiful fruits in bilateral exchanges and cooperation in various fields, which has not only greatly promoted the prosperity and progress of their respective socialist causes, but also played a significant and positive role in maintaining regional peace and stability.

In his message, Kim said that on behalf of the WPK, the DPRK government and the DPRK people, he extends the warmest congratulations and the sincerest wishes to Xi, and via Xi to the CPC, the Chinese government and the Chinese people.

Hailing the establishment of DPRK-China diplomatic ties as an epochal event, Kim said that over the past 70 years, the two parties and two peoples have joined hands in weal and woe and weathered all tempests in the course of defending and promoting the cause of socialism, and have written a history of great friendship.