North Korea’s Kim hails ‘unshakeable will’ to develop ties with China’s Xi

Kim Jong Un has sent Xi Jinping a congratulatory message to mark the 105th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party.North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has promised to continue strengthening bonds with China and described a recent summit meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as a “historic occasion” in advancing relations with his larger neighbour.In a congratulatory message to Xi marking the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party, Kim said Pyongyang’s stance was to progressively develop ties with Beijing, according to a report by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Donald Trump reports $1.4bn in cryptocurrency income in government filinglist 2 of 4What is birthright citizenship, and what does the Supreme Court ruling say?list 3 of 4Mbappe draws level with Messi as France beat Sweden to reach last 16list 4 of 4Five humanitarian workers killed in convoy ambush in South Sudanend of list“It is the steadfast stand of our Party and government to steadily develop the DPRK-China friendly relations with long and historical roots and with socialism as their core,” Kim said in the message, using the initials of the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.“The recent Pyongyang summit was a historic occasion of deepening the comradely friendship and trust between us,” Kim said, adding that the two leaders had reaffirmed their “unshakable will” to advance bilateral ties.Xi’s visit to Pyongyang on June 8 and 9 was his first to North Korea in nearly seven years, according to South Korea’s official Yonhap News Agency.Kim also said in his message to Xi that North Korea-China relations were “the common wealth of the peoples of the two countries”.During Xi’s summit with Kim, the two leaders adopted what North Korean state media described as a “far-reaching blueprint” for strengthening “the most powerful and strategic relations”.Xi pushed for closer diplomatic, law enforcement and military cooperation with North Korea during the visit, according to Chinese state media.