China’s Xi congratulates N. Korea’s Kim on key anniversary

Kim, who took power in late 2011 following the death of his father, has yet to meet with Xi.

During the meeting, Liu told Kim that China is “willing to work with the DPRK (North Korea) to strive for an early resumption of the six-party talks on the nuclear issue”, China’s Xinhua news agency reported in a dispatch from Pyongyang. Kim welcomed the idea of developing North Korea’s economy and improving the standard of living for ordinary North Koreans, according to Chinese press.

China is trying to persuade North Korea to pursue the path of peace, but on Saturday, Pyongyang time, North Korea’s military prepared armored vehicles and ballistic missiles for display in what is expected to be one of the largest military parade in the country’s history.

Several men were seen marking standing positions for the upcoming events on the vast square with white paint, while a special floating stage has been set up on the Taedong River on the other side of the viewing balcony for a night concert.

Political relations between North Korea and China have been strained in recent years, particularly after North Korea’s third nuclear test in February 2013.

During the meeting with Kim, Liu is quoted as having said that China “adheres to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula”.

China seeks “long-term, healthy and stable development” in bilateral ties with North Korea, Xi said in the letter.

An exhaustively-researched report published this week by the US-based Institute for Science and global Security estimated that North Korea had between 10 and 16 nuclear weapons as of the end of 2014.

Liu also held talks with Choe in Pyongyang.

North Korea is widely expected to mark its anniversary with a variety of celebratory events, rather than a provocative act, such as a long-range rocket launch, according to Seoul’s Unification Ministry.

Xi hailed the “glorious tradition” of the friendship between North Korea and China.

South Korean and other countries’ intelligence officials say that they have detected no signs of North Korea preparing for such tests in the next few days.

The North has recently ratcheted up its missile and nuclear threats, citing its sovereign right to launch “a series of satellites for peaceful purposes”.