Leaders of North Korea, China vow to strengthen ties

The North Korean and Chinese leaders have expressed their desire to further strengthen their ties as they exchange messages marking the 60th anniversary of their countries’ defense treaty

SEOUL, South Korea -- The North Korean and Chinese leaders expressed their desire Sunday to further strengthen their ties as they exchanged messages marking the 60th anniversary of their countries’ defense treaty. In a message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said it is “the fixed stand" of his government to “ceaselessly develop the friendly and cooperative relations" between the countries, the state-run Korean Central News Agency said. Xi said in his message that China and North Korea have “unswervingly supported each other,” according to China's official Xinhua News Agency. “The world has recently seen accelerating changes unprecedented over the past century,” Xi said. “I wish to ... lead bilateral relations to unceasingly rise to new levels to the benefit of the two countries and their peoples.”