Xi Tells Kim China's Friendship With North Korea Won't Change
In letters marking the 65th anniversary of their friendship treaty, Xi vowed steady support for Pyongyang while Kim said ties had reached a "new strategic level."
SEOUL, July 11 (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping said China's commitment to its traditional friendship with North Korea would not change regardless of how the international situation evolves, according to letters exchanged with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and published by North Korean state media KCNA on Saturday.
Kim, in a letter to Xi, said bilateral friendship and cooperation had risen to a "new strategic level," KCNA reported.
North Korea's Premier Pak Thae Song arrived in Beijing on Friday for a three-day visit to attend an event marking the 65th anniversary of the neighbours' friendship treaty.
Xi travelled to Pyongyang last month for his first visit to North Korea in seven years, where he and Kim agreed to expand cooperation across politics, economy and culture.
The Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, signed on July 11, 1961, remains China's only active mutual defence pact.
"Regardless of how the international situation changes, the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government will continue to attach great importance to the traditional friendship between China and North Korea, continue to firmly support North Korea's socialist cause under the leadership of General Secretary Kim Jong Un, and remain firmly committed to safeguarding the common interests of both countries and a favorable strategic environment," Xi was quoted as saying.
(Reporting by Heekyong Yang and Hyunjoo Jin; Editing by Edmund Klamann)
