(2nd LD) N. Korea's Kim calls enhancing ties with China top priority: report

SEOUL, June 8 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Monday deepening ties with China is his country's top policy priority, as he held summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Pyongyang, according to a report.

The Kim-Xi talks came hours after the Chinese leader arrived in Pyongyang for his first state visit in nearly seven years.

Developing friendship between the North and China is "the people's choice and the calling of the times," China's Xinhua News Agency quoted Kim as saying during the talks with Xi.

Kim said Pyongyang viewed the development of mutual ties as the country's "most important strategic priority."

This file photo, carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency on Sept. 4, 2025, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (L) shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of their summit talks in Beijing. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

With the international community "going through unprecedented, grand change," he reaffirmed Pyongyang's support for Beijing's "One China" principle and pledged to keep helping safeguard China's core interests, according to the report.

Kim also vowed to work toward making the relationship an exemplary one between nations, saying the two sides should jointly contribute to regional and global peace and prosperity.

Xi said China remained firmly committed to protecting North Korea's interests and expanding practical cooperation across a broad range of areas, including the economy, trade, military, science and healthcare.

"No matter how the international situation changes, the Chinese party and government's firm commitment to safeguarding the shared interests of the two countries and preserving a favorable strategic environment will not change," Xi was quoted as saying.

Xi said both sides should "maintain high-level exchanges as guidance and build on the foundation of political mutual trust."

He also called for stronger coordination across diplomacy, law enforcement and the military, saying the two countries should stand firm in defending each other's sovereignty, security and development interests.

China was ready to work with Kim to chart the course of bilateral relations from a strategic perspective and push for greater development of their relationship, Xi added.

During the summit, Xi did not make any explicit public references to the Korean Peninsula or denuclearization, instead focusing on strengthening bilateral ties between Beijing and Pyongyang.

The absence of such remarks contrasted with Xi's state visit to North Korea i