North Korea's Kim Tells Xi He Hopes To 'Steadily Develop' Ties: KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Chinese President Xi Jinping that it is his “steadfast will” to continue strengthening bilateral ties, state media reported Friday, following a meeting between the two leaders in Beijing.

The talks took place Thursday evening at the Great Hall of the People, where Kim highlighted the “friendly feelings” shared between the two countries, according to Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Kim is on a rare overseas trip to China, North Korea’s most important ally, where he joined Xi and Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a massive military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

“It is the steadfast will of the WPK (Workers’ Party of Korea) and the government... to steadily develop DPRK-China relations,” Kim said, as quoted by KCNA, using the acronym for North Korea.

He also told Xi that their relationship “cannot change no matter how the international situation may change,” echoing comments Xi made in turn, according to Chinese state media.

China’s bond with North Korea dates back to the Korean War in the 1950s, with Beijing continuing to provide crucial diplomatic, economic, and political support to the isolated nuclear state.

However, Pyongyang has been moving closer to Moscow in recent years. The two countries signed a mutual defense pact in 2024, and North Korean troops have been deployed to the battlefield in Ukraine.

Despite this, Kim assured Xi that Pyongyang would “invariably support and encourage the stand and efforts” of China to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and development goals.

Xi, in turn, said China and North Korea should deepen coordination on international affairs and work together to “safeguard their common interests,” Chinese media reported.

Kim arrived in Beijing on Tuesday with his daughter, Kim Ju Ae — his second reported foreign trip in six years and his first visit to China since 2019.

Reflecting on the visit, Kim said in a video released by Chinese broadcaster CCTV: “Visiting China after six years, I was deeply struck by how China has transformed and developed beyond recognition. What hasn’t changed is the warm welcome... no matter how the world changes, the friendship between the peoples of North Korea and China remains constant.”

Xi also recalled his 2019 trip to Pyongyang, saying he felt a “strong sense of kinship” throughout his visit.

Kim departed Beijing on his private train Thursday evening to return home, KCNA said.