Xi tells Kim China wants stronger ties with North Korea, Yonhap reports
In a reply to Kim Jong-un’s anniversary message, Xi Jinping called for greater political trust and practical cooperation, according to Yonhap’s account of North Korean state media.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed his commitment to stronger ties with North Korea in a reply sent to its leader, Kim Jong-un, on October 20, according to a North Korean state media report described by Yonhap News Agency on October 22. Xi called for greater political trust and practical cooperation between the neighbours, following talks with Kim in Pyongyang in June.
The reply answered Kim’s October 1 message marking the 77th anniversary of China’s founding. In that message, Kim pledged to develop the countries’ traditional friendship and safeguard their shared interests, Yonhap reported. The exchange adds a public statement of intent to the leaders’ recent efforts to strengthen a relationship that Yonhap said had faced strains in 2024 as North Korea deepened its ties with Russia.
What Xi said in his reply to Kim
Quoting the Korean-language dispatch by the Korean Central News Agency, Yonhap said Xi described the two countries as geographically connected and bound by a long history of mutual support. Xi said China was ready to ‘carry forward the traditional friendship between the two nations, consolidate mutual political trust, expand practical cooperation and maintain close communication and coordination.’ The dispatch did not have an English version, Yonhap said.
Xi also referred to ‘important common understandings’ reached during his June state visit to North Korea, according to Yonhap’s account of the dispatch. He said closer ties would benefit both peoples and contribute to peace and development in the region and beyond. Yonhap’s account attributes the new correspondence to North Korean state media; China’s Foreign Ministry account of the June visit does not independently confirm the letter exchange.
June talks and renewed cross-border links
China’s Foreign Ministry said Xi and Kim held talks in Pyongyang on June 8 during Xi’s state visit. Its account said Xi was ready to strengthen top-level planning and strategic guidance for the relationship. That earlier statement gives context to Xi’s reported reference to the visit in his reply to Kim, without establishing what practical steps may follow from the new message.
Yonhap said the two governments had moved to restore ties after the strains of 2024, citing Kim’s attendance at China’s Victory Day military parade in 2025 and Xi’s visit this year. It also reported that the countries opened the Amnok River Bridge, also known as the New Yalu River Bridge, the previous week. The crossing links Sinuiju in North Korea with Dandong in China, giving the recent diplomatic exchanges a concrete cross-border backdrop.
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Sources and context
- Xi reaffirms commitment to strengthening ties with N. Korea in reply to Kim Jong-un's letterYonhap News Agency
- Xi Jinping Holds Talks with Kim Jong UnMinistry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.