Xi tells Kim North Korea's importance to China 'will not change'

BEIJING:

President Xi Jinping reassured Kim Jong Un of North Korea's enduring importance to China on Thursday, saying Beijing's position "will not change" as the two leaders met for talks.

Kim has been on a rare foreign visit to China, his most important ally, joining Russia's Vladimir Putin alongside Xi at a massive military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. Kim and Xi held talks on Thursday evening at Beijing's Great Hall of the People, where the Chinese president said his country attached "great importance to the traditional friendship" with North Korea.

Beijing is "willing to maintain, consolidate and develop" bilateral ties, Xi said according to state news agency Xinhua.

"No matter how the international situation changes, this position will not change," Xi was quoted as saying.

China's relationship with North Korea was forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War in the 1950s, and Beijing is a vital source of diplomatic, economic and political support for the isolated nuclear state.

But Pyongyang has been moving closer to Russia recently — the two countries signed a mutual defence agreement last year, and North Korean soldiers are fighting in the Ukraine war. Xi told Kim on Thursday that China was willing to "enhance high-level exchanges and strategic communication with the DPRK... deepen mutual understanding and friendship, strengthen interactions at all levels, and carry out practical cooperation in various fields", Xinhua said, using the acronym for North Korea.

The two countries should also strengthen coordination on international affairs and "safeguard their common interests", it added.

Kim echoed Xi's sentiments on their unchanging friendship, Xinhua said, and pledged support for China on issues such as Taiwan. The two men had tea and dinner together, it added.

Kim's armoured train was seen leaving Beijing shortly after the meeting ended, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported.

Kim's international visits

Despite the apparent closeness, Beijing and Pyongyang's relationship is an uneasy one.

China's support of Kim is predicated on the expectation he will not cause too much regional instability — an expectation he has not always lived up to.