Xi calls for ‘higher stage’ of China-North Korea ties

SEOUL: Chinese President Xi Jinping will push for a “higher stage” of relations with Pyongyang, North Korean state media said on Tuesday, as G7 foreign ministers condemned the North´s unprecedented string of weapons tests.

China is North Korea´s longtime treaty ally and main economic benefactor, their relationship forged in the bloodshed of the Korean War when Mao Zedong sent in millions of “volunteers” to fight US-led United Nations forces to a standstill.

Mao once described the two countries as being close as “lips and teeth”, and while relations have fluctuated over the years, a breakdown in negotiations between North Korea and the United States has spurred both sides to strengthen their alliance.

“The traditional China-DPRK friendship has weathered the trials of the changed international situation for a long time,” Xi said in a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.