The Chinese president Xi Jinping He declared himself ready to work with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to open a "new chapter" in relations between Beijing and Pyongyang. This message was delivered on the occasion of Kim Jong Un's re-election as head of the ruling party in North Korea.
In a congratulatory message broadcast by Chinese state television, Xi Jinping stated that he was "willing to work with the Secretary-General to effectively implement the important consensus we have reached" and to "write a new chapter in China-North Korea friendship," while supporting "the building of socialism in both countries."
China's support remains essential for North Korea, diplomatically, politically, and economically. Beijing is Pyongyang's main trading partner and strategic ally, in a context of international sanctions and the North Korean regime's growing isolation.
The two countries also share a strained relationship with the United States, which gives their cooperation an important geopolitical dimension in the regional balance in Northeast Asia.
