In a congratulatory message to Kim Jong Un for the founding anniversary of North Korea's ruling party, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he intends to deepen relations with Pyongyang, North Korean state media reported Saturday.
"We have an intent to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the China-Korea relations together with Korean comrades and propel the long-lasting and stable development of the socialist cause of the two countries," the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Xi as saying.
Saturday marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, and events are expected to include a large military parade that may feature some of North Korea's long-range ballistic missiles for the first time since 2018.