Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un vow stronger ties as North Korea visit wraps up

Xi was accompanied on the trip by some of the most important people in his government, including his de facto chief of staff Cai Qi, defence minister Dong Jun, foreign minister Wang Yi and commerce minister Wang Wentao.On Tuesday, both leaders paid a visit to the Friendship Tower, which commemorates Chinese soldiers who fought in the Korean War. They also dropped by Pyongyang's top cadre school, where they planted a fir tree symbolising their evergreen friendship, Xinhua reported.During his stay in Pyongyang, Xi was hosted at the Kumsusan State Guest House, an exclusive residence in the heart of Pyongyang.Reportedly built in 2019 to welcome Xi for his first-ever state visit to Pyongyang that year, the guest house has hosted foreign leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus' President Alexander Lukashenko.XinhuaXi and Kim planted a fir tree symbolising their evergreen friendshipThe lavish public displays however, have not managed to conceal all the differences between China and North Korea.In his speech, Xi said he hoped the visit would "jointly open up a brighter future for the socialist cause of both countries" - a sore point for China. Beijing has long encouraged North Korea to pursue China's own model of Communist leadership: maintaining a one party rule while expanding markets, foreign investment and international trade.