North Korea to further strengthen ties with China, foreign minister says

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SEOUL (Reuters) -North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said the country’s unwavering position was to further strengthen ties with China, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday.

During her visit to China, she met with Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Monday, KCNA said.

Li told Choe that China had highly valued the relations with North Korea, reaffirming its position to promote the bilateral ties from a strategic and long-term perspective, KCNA reported.

Choe’s visit follows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing earlier this month, the first meeting in six years.

North Korea and China are traditional allies but their relationship has been complex and strained at times.

Li said the China-North Korea ties had been further cemented under the “direct attention and strategic guidance” of the two leaders.

At the United Nations, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong said the country would never give up its nuclear programme.

China, one of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, has supported international efforts to rein in Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons development, but also wants North Korea to play a role as a buffer against U.S. influence in the region, experts say.

(Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Leslie Adler and Stephen Coates)