Xi Jinping (R), general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese president, holds talks with Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in Beijing, capital of China, June 19, 2018. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)
Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and Chinese president, on Tuesday held talks with Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), in Beijing.
President Xi spoke highly of Kim's meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore on June 12 and told Kim he hopes the DPRK and the U.S. can carry out the results of their historic summit.
Kim and Trump have reached agreements on the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a lasting peace mechanism for the Peninsula during the Singapore meeting.
The Chinese leader said Kim's visit to China shows that the DPRK highly values the strategic communication between the two sides.
President Xi stressed that his three meetings with Kim within three months showed the direction for the development of the relations between the two parties and the two countries and opened a new chapter in the development of China-DPRK relations.
"No matter the changes in the international and regional situation, China's ruling party's and government's resolute position on being dedicated to consolidating and developing China-DPRK relations will not change," Xi noted.
"The Chinese people's friendship for the DPRK people will not change, and China's support for socialist DPRK will not change," Xi added.
Xi said he was pleased to see DPRK's decision to promote economic reforms, and offered China's support.
Kim, for his part, thanked China's support for him, his country and his people and said he is willing to promote DPRK-China ties to a higher level.
The DPRK leader told Xi he "felt thankful for and highly praised China's promotion of the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and its important role in protecting the Peninsula's peace and stability."
The DPRK "hopes to work with China and other concerned parties to promote and establish a solid, long-lasting peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula and make joint efforts to achieve a lasting peace on the Peninsula," Kim stressed.
Earlier in the day, President Xi held a welcoming ceremony for Kim and the two leaders inspected the guard of honor. Peng Liyuan, the wife of Xi, and Ri Sol Ju, the wife of Kim, also attended the ceremony.
Kim has visited China three times within three months, and the first one was an icebreaker. The second came after Kim's historic meeting with Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in at the border village of Panmunjom. And this visit, which is the third, came after Kim met Trump in Singapore.
The frequency of his visits not only shows Pyongyang’s commitment to denuclearization, but also indicates that China is playing a key role in promoting regional peace and stability.
China has taken some de facto actions to support a political solution to the Korean Peninsula crisis. For example, at the request of the DPRK, a Chinese airline provided relevant services for its delegation’s trip to Singapore. Just as the Chinese Foreign Ministry said earlier, the country is willing to accommodate Pyongyang’s reasonable security concerns.
