BEIJING: China’s top legislator Zhao Leji has said that China is willing to work closely with the North Korean legislature to help relations reach a “higher level”. Zhao Leji was quoted as saying by the foreign ministry on Thursday.
“It has always been our strategic unwavering policy to maintain, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations,” Zhao quoted China’s President Xi Jinping as saying when he met with North Korean politician Choe Ryong Hae.
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is North Korea’s official name.
Meanwhile, CNN reported that China’s highest-level visit to North Korea in nearly five years is set to get underway Thursday, as Pyongyang seeks to strengthen relations with both Beijing and Moscow.
Zhao Leji, China’s third-highest ranked official, will lead a delegation for a “goodwill visit” to the country to kickstart a “friendship year” marking 75 years of diplomatic ties, Beijing announced Tuesday.
The three-day visit, at North Korea’s invitation, shows the “great importance” China attaches to those relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. North Korea’s state media agency KCNA also announced the visit.
