North Korea and China

North Korea and China reaffirm ties after rocket test
Chinese President Hu Jintao met with a top North Korean envoy in a reaffirmation of traditional ties following Chinese concern over Pyongyang's recent attempted rocket launch.


State broadcaster CCTV made no mention of the failed April 13 launch in its report on Hu's meeting on Monday with Workers' Party international relations chief Kim Yong-il at the Great Hall of the People
in the heart of Beijing.
Hu sent his congratulations to North Korea's young new leader Kim Jong-un on his assuming the title of Workers' Party first secretary and said strengthening ties with North Korea was a key priority for China's ruling communists.
"We will carry on this tradition ... boost strategic communication and co-ordination on key international issues and work for peace and stability on the Korean peninsula," CCTV quoted Hu, who also leads the Chinese Communist Party, as saying.
Kim Jong-un concurred in a statement carried late on Monday by the official Korean Central News Agency. "It is the steadfast stand of our party and government to invariably develop the traditional DPRK-China friendship provided and cultivated by the leaders of elder generations of the two countries," the statement said.
The high-profile reception for Kim's envoy illustrates how Beijing is determined to maintain strong ties with its communist neighbour despite exasperation over its provocations against the South and Pyongyang's refusal to embark on economic reforms that would reduce its dependency on foreign aid

 by www.telegraph.co.uk/