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North Korea
ChinaDiplomacy

To North Korea, from China: put fresh focus on regional peace

  • Xi Jinping says in letter that he will work with Kim Jong-un for stability and development
  • Correspondence is first between two leaders since Biden urged Xi to help stop Pyongyang’s nuclear activities

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The US and its allies have urged China to help end North Korea’s nuclear programme. Photo: KCNA
Kawala Xie
Beijing is willing to work with Pyongyang on “regional and global peace and stability”, China’s president told North Korea’s leader just days after international calls for Xi Jinping to help stop Pyongyang’s aggressive nuclear and missile activities.

Xi’s message was part of a letter to Kim dated Tuesday and stressing the importance of China-North Korea relations, Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Saturday.

The letter was an apparent reply to one from Kim congratulating Xi on gaining endorsement for a third term at the Communist Party’s national congress last month.

In his letter, Xi vowed to work with Kim to continue to strengthen their relations as the world changed in “unprecedented ways”.

“Under the new situation, I am ready, together with you, to make a fresh and positive contribution to providing the peoples of the two countries with better well-being, promoting the development of the socialist cause in the two countries, and hastening the peace, stability, development and prosperity of the region and the rest of the world,” KCNA quoted Xi as saying.

Chinese and North Korean leaders have a long tradition of regular exchanges of letters, especially on important events. Xi’s last letter to Kim was on October 16 before the party congress, when he stressed the importance of communication and cooperation between the two countries.

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