President says ties with Pyongyang will remain strong

President Xi Jinping said on Friday that he hopes Pyongyang and Washington will meet each other halfway and accommodate each other’s legitimate concerns so there can be continuous progress in peninsula peace talks.

He made the remark while meeting with Ri Yong-ho, foreign minister of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

This year the situation on the Korean Peninsula has seen some positive changes, and the issue has returned to the right track of political settlement, Xi said.

He said China will, as always, support the DPRK and the Republic of Korea in improving their relations and push forward reconciliation and cooperation.

He called for continuous and closer communication between the foreign ministries of Beijing and Pyongyang to promote bilateral ties and a political settlement on the peninsula.

Xi urged the two nations to host events celebrating the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties next year to promote the long-term healthy and stable development of their relations.

Xi said the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government attach great importance to relations with the DPRK, which is an unwavering policy.

He noted that DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un made three visits to China this year, and he said he is very pleased to see that the consensuses reached by the two nations have been implemented.

He added that China supports efforts of the people of the DPRK, under the leadership of Kim, chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, to explore a path suiting its national conditions.

Ri said the three meetings between Xi and Kim this year have charted the course for elevating the nations’ traditional friendship for the new era.

He said the DPRK will stay committed to the peninsula’s denuclearization and is willing to maintain close communication and coordination with China over the peace and stability of the peninsula and the region.

Ri’s three-day China visit, starting on Thursday, came after a meeting between Xi and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, during a working dinner after the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Argentina.

Xi told Trump that China supports a second meeting with Kim, and Beijing hopes Washington and Pyongyang will advance the denuclearization process and establishment of a peace mechanism.