As the two nations mark the 60th anniversary of a friendship pact, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have pledged to take their relations to a “new stage,” according to Pyongyang’s state media.
China has long been North Korea’s ally and economic backer, their bond cemented in the horror of the Korean War, when Mao Zedong dispatched millions of “volunteers” to bring US-led UN forces to a halt.
On July 11, 1961, the two countries signed a pact of friendship, collaboration, and mutual aid in the case of an armed attack, with Mao comparing the allies to “lips and fangs.”
Because of Pyongyang’s expanding nuclear ambitions, relations have varied throughout the years, but with discussions between North Korea and the US at a stalemate, both sides have pushed to cement their relationship.
“Despite the unprecedentedly complex world scenario in recent years, the DPRK and China’s comradely trust and militant friendship grow stronger day by day,” Kim wrote in his greeting to Xi, using the North’s official name.
Kim emphasized the importance of the treaty in “ensuring peace and stability in Asia and the rest of the globe now that hostile forces are becoming more frantic in their challenge and obstructive efforts,” according to the KCNA news agency.
“By steadily leading the relations of friendship and cooperation between the two countries to a new stage,” Xi wrote, he wanted to provide “more satisfaction” to the two countries and their people, according to KCNA.
