Kim Jong-un, North Korea's State Affairs Commission chair, sent a congratulatory message and a flower basket to Chinese President Xi Jinping for his 73rd birthday. As North Korea and China have drawn closer following Xi's recent visit to Pyongyang, the two leaders again displayed their friendly ties.
Korean Central News Agency reported on the 16th that Kim sent a congratulatory message and a flower basket the previous day, Xi's birthday. The agency said that in his "congratulatory words," Kim said, "I warmly congratulate Comrade General Secretary Xi Jinping on his birthday," and "I sincerely wish that the general secretary will be in good health and achieve greater success in leading China's socialist construction as the core of the leadership of the Communist Party of China."
The agency said the ribbon on the flower basket Kim sent read, "Warm congratulations on Comrade General Secretary Xi Jinping's birthday." The congratulatory message and flower basket were delivered by North Korea's ambassador to China to an official of the International Liaison Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
This is the first time since Xi's 70th birthday in 2023 that Kim has sent and publicized a congratulatory message and a flower basket timed to Xi's birthday. It is seen as a scene that illustrates the rapidly recovering North Korea-China relationship.
Earlier, on the 8th, Xi paid a state visit to North Korea for the first time in seven years, holding a summit with Kim and completing a one-night, two-day schedule. After the visit, Xi, in a message of thanks sent to Kim, assessed that North Korea-China relations had entered "a new historical journey."
North Korea is highlighting strengthened strategic communication and cooperation with China on the occasion of Xi's visit. China is North Korea's largest trading partner, and North Korea, even as it draws closer to Russia, appears to be seeking to manage its ties with its traditional ally China in a stable manner.