Beijing: North Korea has held a reception in Beijing to mark the 75th anniversary of Chinese soldiers’ participation in the 1950-53 Korean War, vowing to develop its friendly ties with China, state media reported Tuesday. North Korean Ambassador to China Ri Ryong-nam hosted the reception at the North’s embassy Saturday.
According to Yonhap News Agency, North Korea and China have observed October 25 as the anniversary of Chinese troops’ participation in the Korean War to aid the North. The day marked Chinese soldiers waging their first combat with the U.N. forces. The banquet was also attended by Ling Huanxin, political commissar of China’s Academy of Military Sciences, and other key Chinese officials.
The KCNA said participants “opposed imperialists’ aggressions and hegemony” and expressed a will to develop traditional and friendly ties between the two nations. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping held their first talks in more than six years in Beijing in September, indicating that the bilateral ties have been restored after being strained by North Korea’s close alignment with Russia.
The North’s leader paid tribute Friday at a cemetery for Chinese soldiers who died fighting for the North during the Korean War. China’s top envoy to Pyongyang, Wang Yajun, also hosted a banquet Saturday to commemorate the 75th anniversary.