North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has marked the 105th founding anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a congratulatory message to Chinese President Xi Jinping, reaffirming his commitment to strengthen ties with Beijing, state media reported Wednesday. “There is no new China without Communist Party. This is the truth the Chinese people have realized while advancing under its guidance for many years,” the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Kim as saying. Kim recalled his summit with Xi in Pyongyang last month, calling it a “historic occasion of deepening the comradely friendship and trust between us and reconfirming the unshakable will to more dynamically promote socialist construction in the two countries and their traditional friendly relations,” according to the KCNA. Xi made a two-day state visit to Pyongyang on June 8-9, his first trip to North Korea in nearly seven years. During the visit, the two leaders agreed to deepen cooperation across politics, economy and culture, pledging to strengthen high-level communication and open a new chapter in bilateral relations. “
