China's People's Daily highlights North Korea-China friendship on day of Xi's state visit

China's ruling Communist Party newspaper, the People's Daily, ran a front-page lead story Monday — the day Xi Jinping began his state visit to North Korea — spotlighting the friendship between the two countries and underscoring the strategic importance of their relationship.

Under the headline "Let us write a new chapter of China-North Korea friendship together," the paper described China and North Korea as "good neighbors, good friends and good comrades who share the same destiny and help each other," adding that "this historic visit will chart a new blueprint for the development of relations between the two parties and the two countries."

The paper noted that Xi's visit marks his first trip to North Korea in seven years, saying it would inject new momentum into both countries' socialist development and contribute to regional peace, stability and prosperity. It also cited the six rounds of summit talks Xi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have held since 2018, calling the strategic leadership of the two countries' top officials the greatest political asset and guarantee for the advancement of bilateral ties.

The paper also noted that this year marks the 77th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries and the 65th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, and said the relationship now stands at a new historic starting point.

The People's Daily again described the North Korea-China relationship as a "blood-sealed friendship" forged through shared struggle, highlighting the historical significance of their traditional bond.

The paper quoted Xi as saying that "no matter how the international situation changes, safeguarding, consolidating and developing China-North Korea relations is the unwavering policy of the Chinese party and government," and recalled Kim's earlier remark that "no matter how the world changes, this friendship will never change."

In addition, the paper noted that the two countries have this year resumed railway and air links and are expanding exchanges in the economic, trade, education and sports sectors, calling "development" and "cooperation" the defining keywords of the bilateral relationship.

The People's Daily's decision to lead with North Korea-China relations on the day of Xi's arrival is widely seen as reflecting Beijing's intent to reaffirm ties with its traditional ally and signal a commitment to deeper cooperation — amid growing closeness between North Korea and Russia.

Xi is on a two-day state visit to North Korea beginning Monday, during which he will hold summit talks with Kim. It is his first visit to the country since June 2019.