Pyongyang [North Korea], April 14 : North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reiterated his desire to develop long-standing ties with China on Sunday in a meeting with China's top legislator, Zhao Leji, Yonhap reported, citing the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
During the luncheon meeting held Saturday, Kim said Zhao's visit to Pyongyang is "of very weighty significance in demonstrating the invincibility of the DPRK-China friendship and further developing the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries as required by the times."
According to Yonhap News Agency, during their meeting, both sides delved into the matter of enhancing multi-faceted exchange and cooperation to strengthen the friendly and cooperative relations cherished by both parties and countries, as reported by KCNA in an English-language dispatch.
Kim stressed that it is the "invariable and steadfast" policy of the North to develop the countries' "long-standing friendship century after century" and expressed optimism that bolstering their "durable traditions of friendship" would yield fruitful outcomes.
Furthermore, Kim proposed a toast to the "eternal development" of socialism in both nations, along extending wishes for the longevity and well-being of Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the KCNA.
Key officials presented at the meeting, include Yong-won, the secretary for organisational affairs at the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, and Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, as per Yonhap News Agency.
Following their deliberations, Kim personally bid farewell to Zhao and the accompanying delegation as they departed from the meeting.
Zhao, serving as the chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, is the first high-ranking Chinese official to visit North Korea since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.
The three-day trip by the No. 3 official in the Chinese Communist Party came as the two countries marked the 75th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.
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