by WorldTribune Staff, November 2, 2017

China, which has in recent months grown has shown signs of being annoyed with North Korea’s major provocations, said it will remain engaged with Pyongyang to ensure stable relations between the two nations.

In a reciprocal message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, Chinese President Xi Jinping said “I wish that under the new situation, the Chinese side will make joint efforts with the North Korean side to promote the sustainable soundness and stable development of the relations between the two nations,” Xi was quoted as saying by the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Nov. 2.

Xi’s message was a response to Kim’s congratulatory message sent last week after Xi’s re-election as the leader of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). Xi will remain in power at least until 2022.

In his message to Kim, the Chinese leader cited the need for “defending regional peace, stability and common prosperity.”

Yonahp reported that the “exchange of cordial messages came amid a widespread view that China’s ties with its longtime ally are not like before Kim took power in late 2011. Xi and Kim have not held summit talks yet.”

China is said to be frustrated by North Korea’s repeated provocations and has shown some indications of toughening sanctions on Pyongyang for its latest nuclear test in September.

Meanwhile, China on Oct. 31 announced an agreement with South Korea to end their year-long dispute over the South’s deployment of the THAAD missile defense system.

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  China’s Xi in message to North Korea’s Kim calls for ‘sound and stable’ ties, Kim Jong-Un, North Korea-China relations, WorldTribune.com, Xi Jinping