Xi Says China's Friendly, Cooperative Attitude Toward North Korea Will Never Change

Beijing will continue to firmly stand by its position to always offer Pyongyang friendship and cooperation regardless of changes on the global stage, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a op-ed published in North Korean media ahead of his visit to the country

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th June, 2019) Beijing will continue to firmly stand by its position to always offer Pyongyang friendship and cooperation regardless of changes on the global stage, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a op-ed published in North Korean media ahead of his visit to the country.

Xi will pay a state visit to North Korea on Thursday and Friday. The trip is timed to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and will be the first official visit of a Chinese party and state leader in 14 years.

"No matter what changes will occur in the international arena, the firm position of the [Communist Party of China] and the Chinese government to develop relations of friendship and cooperation with North Korea will not change," Xi said.

He stressed that Beijing would support North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his efforts to implement the country's economic development strategy for the period until 2020 and improve the people's lives.

"During this visit, I am ready to define a plan of relations of friendship and cooperation and write a new chapter to the traditional friendship between China and North Korea together with State Council Chairman Kim Jong Un and North Korean comrades," the Chinese leader added.

He also welcomed Kim's push for a political resolution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula and confirmed Beijing's readiness to work toward establish long-term peace in the region.

"We are pleased to see that thanks to the correct decision of State Council Chairman Kim Jong Un and the efforts of various parties, a peaceful dialogue on the Korean Peninsula has already been formed. There is a historical chance for a political settlement of the problem of the Korean Peninsula, the whole world is waiting for this," Xi said.

Xi previously visited North Korea in 2008 in his capacity as vice-premier. The last Chinese president to visit North Korea was Hu Jintao in 2005. Kim, on the other hand, came to China four times in less than a year, which his first trip taking place in March 2018, and the latest one this past January. It was doing this last visit that Kim invited Xi to North Korea.