July 11, 1961 is the day when the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was concluded.

The DPRK-PRC Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, personally signed by the leaders of elder generations of the two countries 60 years ago, served as a solid legal basis for durably consolidating and developing the friendly and cooperative relations formed on the road of arduous struggle for anti-imperialism, independence and socialism.

The conclusion of the Treaty was a clear demonstration of the firm determination and invincible solidarity between the peoples of the two countries to contain and frustrate aggressive war maneuvers of the imperialists and to support, cooperate and fight shoulder to shoulder in the joint struggle for socialist cause.

Over the past 60 years, the Treaty has made a great contribution to propelling the development of bilateral relations of friendship and the socialist construction in both countries and to defending peace and security of Asia and the world.

The friendly DPRK-PRC relations were developed under the great attention by the leaders of elder generations of the two countries.

The great leader Comrade Kim Il Sung visited China more than 40 times, deepened friendly feelings with the leaders of elder generations of the PRC including Comrade Mao Zedong and Comrade Zhou Enlai and handed over the strategic relations between the two countries as an asset.

Chairman Kim Jong Il devoted his heart and soul to strengthening and developing the DPRK-PRC friendship even during the last days of his life, saying that the DPRK-PRC friendship is a historic and strategic choice for the peoples of the two countries.

The Chinese leaders of elder generations also visited the DPRK several times with friendly feelings towards our people and encouraged our cause of socialist construction.

The friendly mutual visits by the leaders of elder generations of the two countries spoke of invincibility of the DPRK-PRC relations of friendship and cooperation and of their unity, and opened up bright prospects for improved bilateral relations.

There is a saying that a tree with a deep root withstands any strong wind and a spring with a deep source does not dry up.

Despite the increasingly rampant anti-socialist attempts by the imperialists and the rapidly changing relations between or among countries in the wake of the Cold War, the deep-rooted DPRK-PRC friendship never vacillated.

The DPRK-PRC relations of friendship that have been tested and further strengthened in the face of all sorts of ordeals and trials of history are now developing day by day on the basis of genuine comradeship, mutual trust and deep personal relations forged between respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and Comrade Xi Jinping.

With a firm determination to bring about overall rejuvenation of the DPRK-PRC friendship as required by the new great history, new brilliant era in the DPRK-PRC relations, respected Comrade Kim Jong Un had meetings and talks with Comrade Xi Jinping five times over one year from 2018 to 2019, thus opening up a new chapter of improved bilateral relations.

The visit to the PRC by respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and the visit to the DPRK by Comrade Xi Jinping served as significant events which markedly demonstrated the unshakable willingness of the supreme leaders of the two Parties and the two countries to advance hand in hand along the road of struggle for sovereignty, justice and socialism by inheriting the great history and tradition of the DPRK-PRC friendship.

Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un and Comrade Xi Jinping further deepened comradely trust and increased strategic communication by exchanging personal letters and congratulatory messages on several occasions also this year as they did last year.

The DPRK and the PRC, firmly convinced of the justness of their socialist cause, are now staunchly advancing toward a bright future by smashing the high-handedness and desperate maneuvers of the hostile forces on the strength of militant friendship and blood ties even under the complicated international situation.

The long-standing and traditional friendship between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China will further consolidate and develop in the future under the deep attention and personal guidance by the supreme leaders of the two Parties and the two countries, and the socialist construction of the two countries will continue to achieve victory after victory.