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The late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung shakes hands with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai on his trip to China in November 1953 just after the Korean War ended.
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Former allies strained since North’s missile tests
With October 1 marking the 57th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, North Korea and China are stressing the need for a friendly relationship between the two nations. Recently, Beijing has strongly indicated that it wants to restore good relations with the North, which have stagnated since North Korea’s missile tests in early July. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sent a congratulatory letter to mark China’s anniversary, saying, "Our consistent position is to strengthen and develop friendly and cooperative relations with China. I firmly believe that the friendly relations between North Korea and China will be stepped up and developed by joint efforts among the two nations’ political parties, governments, and peoples." Kim’s message was delivered to Chinese leaders such as President Hu Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao, and chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Wu Bangguo. Yang Hyong-sup, vice president of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly Presidium, attended a reception marking the founding of China, held in Pyongyang on September 29. Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to North Korea, said at the reception, "Friendly Beijing-Pyongyang relations were established by the two nations’ old-generation leaders. China’s party and government have a firm policy stance to solidly develop these relations." Liu was appointed as ambassador to Pyongyang in August. While in the North to attend the September 29 ceremony, Lu visited Geumsusan Memorial Palace, where former North Korean leader Kim Il-sung’s body lies in state, as well as the former leader’s birthplace in Mangyeongdae, Pyongyang. During the visit, Liu, who is trusted by President Hu, expressed a strong will to restore the North Korea-China relationship, explaining that the late Kim had laid a foundation for friendly relations between the two nations along with China’s prior generation of reformists. The official Chinese news agency Xinhwa reported about Lui’s visit in detail.Such an attitude by China seems to reflect a series of moves to mend uneasy relations between the two former allies, strained since Pyongyang test-fired a salvo of missiles in early July. China showed discomfort at the test launch, supporting a U.N. Security Council Resolution against the communist nation. Beijing, however, made it clear that it was opposed to imposing financial sanctions on Pyongyang. In the process, the Chinese government was reportedly divided into two factions, with Liu belonging to the more pro-North side. The situation, however, is not so optimistic. A diplomatic source in Beijing said, "A cold stream of air still flows between China and North Korea." The two nations have officially sought to thaw relations since August.
