Xi Jinping emphasized in his message that the re-election of Kim reflects the “great confidence and sincere support” of the “party, government, and people of North Korea,” according to the state agency Xinhua emphasizing that the ninth party congress, held during what he described as a “crucial” phase, carries “important significance”.
The Chinese leader also expressed the desire for North Korea to take advantage of the occasion as a starting point to advance its political and economic agenda.
The congratulation arrives one day after the Workers’ Party re-elected Kim on the fourth day of the congress, in a session where, according to the North Korean agency KCNA, the “radical” improvement in the country’s military deterrence, with nuclear forces at its core, stood out.
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Xi stated that China and North Korea are “friendly socialist neighbors who support each other” and stressed that maintaining, consolidating, and developing bilateral ties is a constant policy of Beijing.
The Chinese President indicated that, in a “complex and volatile international situation,” he is “willing” to “strengthen well-being and friendship” between China and North Korea and to “positively contribute to the promotion of peace, stability, development, and regional and global prosperity.”
Although in recent years both sides have highlighted the improvement of bilateral relations, Xi did not attend the military parade for the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party of North Korea, which was held last October.
The fact that Xi did not attend that North Korean parade, when Kim traveled to Beijing last September to participate in the Chinese military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in the Pacific, may highlight the limitations that still exist in their bilateral relations.
China remains North Korea’s main trading partner, a country with which it shares a border of more than 1,400 kilometers, in a scenario marked by international sanctions on Pyongyang and the growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
