China, NKorea reaffirm relations

CHINA: China and North Korea vowed Monday to bolster a bilateral relationship that is vital to the isolated North, in a sign they had patched up any discord over Pyongyang’s nuclear programmes.

During a North Korea trip by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the longtime allies issued a joint statement congratulating each other on 60 years of diplomatic ties and pledging continued friendship, China’s foreign ministry said.

China fought for the North in the 1950-53 Korean War and relations were once said to be “as close as lips and teeth”.

Beijing remains Pyongyang’s sole major ally and leading trade partner and energy supplier. But a rare strain in ties emerged this year after North Korea pulled out of China-hosted six-nation talks on dismantling the North’s nuclear programmes.

China later backed tougher United Nations sanctions after North Korea conducted its second nuclear test in May.

“History has proven that developing China-North Korea relations in is line with the fundamental interests and common aspirations of the two peoples and conducive to safeguarding regional peace and stability,” said a statement on the Chinese foreign ministry website which quoted President Hu Jintao and Wen.

Beijing, Monday, AFP