President Xi Jinping congratulated Kim Jong-un on Monday on his election as general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

In a message, Xi noted that since the eighth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, the party central committee headed by Kim had united and led the people of DPRK in hard work, continuously achieving new accomplishments in the cause of socialist construction in the country.

Kim's re-election as general secretary once again reflects the high trust and wholehearted support of the party, the government and the people of the DPRK for the general secretary, Xi said.

He added that it is of great significance that the ninth congress of the party was successfully held at a crucial stage, when the party's and the country's undertakings enter a phase that builds on the past and ushers in the future.

He expressed hope that under the strong leadership of the party's central committee, headed by the general secretary, the party and the people of the DPRK will take this congress as an opportunity to continuously open up new prospects for the socialist cause of the DPRK.

China and the DPRK are friendly socialist neighbours who stand by each other, Xi said, stressing that it is an unswerving policy of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government to preserve, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations.

In recent years, Xi noted, he has met with Kim multiple times, jointly guiding the positive development of China-DPRK relations.

Noting that the world is undergoing accelerated changes unseen in a century, and that the international landscape is marked by transformation and turbulence, Xi said he stood ready to work with Kim to guide relevant departments and local authorities of both sides to implement the important consensus reached by the two sides, continuously write new chapters of China-DPRK friendly co-operation, advance the socialist cause of both countries, enhance the well-being and friendship of the two peoples, and make positive contributions to promoting peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the world at large.

Xi also sent a congratulatory message to Sultan of Brunei Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah on the 42nd anniversary of the country's independence. (Xinhua)


Edited by Tony Sabine