China, North Korea agree to boost 'traditional' ties amid heightened tensions on Korean Peninsula

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Longtime allies China and North Korea pledged to further bolster their "ongoing traditional" relations amid heightened tensions on the Korean Peninsula, state media reported on Saturday.

The pledge was made at the opening ceremony of the "Year of DPRK-China Friendship" in Pyongyang to mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Korea, the official name of North Korea, and Zhao Leji, chairman of the National People's Congress of China, attended the ceremony at the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre on Friday.

Choe, in his remarks, reaffirmed the "unshakable will to further develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation with socialism as the core."

According to Choe, bilateral relations are valuable and precious not only because the two countries are geographically close but also because they have been forged in the struggle for the "common cause."

Zhao, for his part, said it is "the consistent strategic policy of the Chinese party and government to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the traditional China-DPRK friendly relations."

Zhao, who arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday for a three-day visit, is the first high-ranking Chinese official to visit North Korea since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

He is also expected to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.