SEOUL, July 12 (AJP) -China and North Korea pledged to deepen strategic coordination and expand practical cooperation as the two countries marked the 65th anniversary of their mutual defense treaty, according to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang made the remarks during talks in Beijing on Saturday with North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song, who is leading a three-day delegation to China commemorating the signing of the 1961 Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance. The treaty remains Beijing's only formal military alliance and obliges both countries to provide military assistance if either comes under attack.
Li said China is prepared to uphold the treaty by maintaining high-level exchanges, strengthening political mutual trust and expanding practical cooperation across trade, healthcare, education and connectivity, Xinhua reported. He also called for closer strategic coordination to safeguard the two countries' common interests amid what he described as a rapidly changing international environment.
Pak reaffirmed Pyongyang's support for China on its core interests and expressed North Korea's willingness to broaden cooperation in trade, science and technology, culture and people-to-people exchanges, while calling for closer coordination on international affairs, according to Xinhua.
North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency separately said the two premiers discussed implementing agreements reached by Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to expand exchanges and cooperation across multiple sectors. KCNA quoted Pak as saying the increasingly complex international environment requires the two socialist neighbors to further strengthen unity and cooperation under the spirit of the treaty.
The meeting followed Xi's talks with Pak on Friday, during which the Chinese leader urged both countries to carry forward what he described as the "friendship forged in blood" and strengthen strategic coordination.
The talks came only weeks after Xi's state visit to Pyongyang, his first trip to North Korea in seven years, which signaled a renewed momentum in bilateral ties.
The renewed diplomatic exchanges come as China seeks to reinforce its traditional relationship with North Korea while Pyongyang simultaneously expands military and economic cooperation with Russia. Beijing remains North Korea's largest trading partner and principal economic lifeline despite international sanctions imposed over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.
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