65 years of alliance... China and the DPRK affirm the strength of relations and the continuing partnership

China and the DPRK affirmed the strength of the ties binding them on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, through an exchange of congratulatory messages between Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Kim Jong Un noted that the treaty, signed on July 11, 1961, constituted the legal foundation on which bilateral relations were based and helped consolidate cooperation between the two countries at various levels.

The treaty stipulates the provision of mutual military support and assistance in the event that either party comes under armed attack, making it one of the main pillars of the strategic relationship between Beijing and Pyongyang.

China remains the DPRK’s leading trading partner, accounting for more than 90 percent of its foreign trade, an indication of the depth of the economic interdependence between the two countries alongside their political and security cooperation.