President Xi Jinping will kick off a state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Monday, his first trip to the neighboring country in seven years and his first overseas visit this year.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, will make the two-day visit at the invitation of Kim Jong-un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK.
Wang Yajun, China's ambassador to the DPRK, said in an article published by People's Daily that Xi and Kim will hold an "important and historic meeting" to set the direction and draw a blueprint for China-DPRK relations in the new era.
"The historic scene of General Secretary Xi Jinping and General Secretary Kim Jong-un standing side by side on the Tian'anmen Rostrum in September last year remains vivid, and now, Kim Il-sung Square in Pyongyang is set to resound with a magnificent melody of China-DPRK friendship," Wang wrote.
Xi's upcoming visit is expected to draw a new blueprint for the development of relations between the two parties and the two countries, inject strong impetus into the joint cause of socialist construction, and make new contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity.
