The North Korean leader congratulates Xi as he enters his second term as China’s president.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping on his unanimous appointment by the Chinese National People’s Congress (NPC) on Friday to a second term as China’s president. In a message carried by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea’s state-run news agency for external consumption, Kim said he “warmly congratulated” Xi.
“Expressing belief that the bilateral relations would develop in the common interests of the peoples of the two countries, the message wished the Chinese president big success in his responsible work,” KCNA paraphrased Kim as saying.
KCNA noted that Kim had confidence China would accomplish greater things with “Xi Jinping at the core,” referring to the Chinese leader’s elevated status as the country’s core leader.
The message is the first direct, public communication from Kim toward Xi since a similar congratulatory message after China’s 19th Party Congress in October 2017.
KCNA carried a reply to Kim from Xi Jinping back then, noting that he wished “under the new situation the Chinese side would make efforts with the DPRK side to promote the relations between the two parties.
