North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (2-R) sent a congratulatory message to Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) on the 105th founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party, state media reported Wednesday. In this photo, Xi and Kim are seen at a welcoming ceremony in Pyongyang in June. File Photo by KCNA/EPA
SEOUL, July 1 (UPI) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping on the 105th founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party and pledged to further strengthen ties between Pyongyang and Beijing in a message published Wednesday by state media.
"There is no new China without Communist Party," Kim wrote in the message to Xi, according to the official Korean Central News Agency. "This is the truth the Chinese people have realized while advancing under its guidance for many years."
"It is the steadfast stand of our Party and government to steadily develop the DPRK-China friendly relations with long and historical roots and with socialism as their core," Kim added, using the official acronym for North Korea.
The message was the latest indication of warming ties between the longtime allies.
