PYONGYANG, June 9. /TASS/. North Korea is ready to take cooperation with China to a new level and further develop exemplary interstate relations, said its leader Kim Jong Un on June 8 at a reception in honor of visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
Kim Jong Un "expressed the will to develop the DPRK-China friendship with good history and tradition as the foundation into a model of the most powerful and strategic relations between socialist countries by leading it to a new height," KCNA writes.
Kim Jong Un noted that during the talks held in Pyongyang the parties reaffirmed their desire to work together to build the future of the peoples of the two countries. He stressed that North Korea and China are connected not only by their neighborhood, but also by a common ideology, as well as a history of cooperation. He expressed confidence in the further strengthening of friendship between the two countries and wished China new success in implementing development goals under the leadership of the Communist Party.
According to KCNA, Xi Jinping thanked North Korean leadership and people for the warm welcome of the Chinese delegation and noted the lasting nature of the traditional friendship between the two countries.
"This year, when the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the PRC and the DPRK is celebrated, Sino-Korean relations stand on a new historical starting line," he said, expressing readiness to jointly "develop Sino-Korean relations at a high level, open up more beautiful prospects for the cause of socialism between the two countries and to stimulate the continuous progress of human society."
Xi Jinping said that he and Kim Jong Un had reached an understanding on further development of cooperation. He expressed support for North Korea’s development course and wished the successful fulfillment of the tasks set by the Workers' Party of Korea.