Kim Jong-un vows stronger ties with China on 105th anniversary of Chinese Communist Party

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has marked the 105th founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party in a congratulatory message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, reaffirming his commitment to strengthening ties with Beijing, state media reported on Wednesday.

"There is no new China without the Communist Party. This is the truth that the Chinese people have realized while advancing under its guidance for many years," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying.

Kim recalled his summit with Xi in Pyongyang last month, calling it a "historic occasion of deepening the comradely friendship and trust between us [that reconfirmed] the unshakable will to more dynamically promote socialist construction in the two countries and their traditional friendly relations," according to the KCNA.

Xi made a two-day state visit to Pyongyang from June 8 to 9, his first trip to North Korea in nearly seven years. During the visit, the leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across politics, economy and culture, pledging to strengthen high-level communication and open a new chapter in bilateral relations.

"The absolute superiority of the relations between the two countries is firmly guaranteed by the leadership of the parties," Kim said in his latest message to the Chinese leader, according to the KCNA report.

Kim added that he was ready to work alongside Xi to "add shine to socialism, the common cause of the two parties," and to keep building the "friendly and cooperative" relationship, which he described as a shared asset of both people.

The Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang marked the anniversary with a banquet the previous day, attended by senior North Korean officials, including Jo Yong-won and Kim Song-nam, both secretaries of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea's central committee, a separate KCNA report said on Wednesday.

Chinese Ambassador Wang Yajun told guests that Beijing wants to deepen "strategic communication" and exchanges with North Korea and described the two nations as bound by a shared destiny across generations of mutual support. A session on party-building experience preceded the dinner, the report said.

Yonhap