President Xi Jinping Congratulates Kim Jong Un on Returning to Lead North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un with a number of other country leaders including Chinese President Xi Jinping/DOK President of Russia

JAKARTA - Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated Kim Jong Un who has returned to serve as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and has returned to become the great leader of North Korea.

"Since the 8th Congress of the WPK, the WPK Central Committee led by Kim Jong Un has united and led the people of North Korea in their dedicated efforts, continuously achieving new victories in the construction of North Korea's socialism," said President Xi, quoted by ANTARA from a written statement on the website of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wednesday, February 25.

The re-election of Kim Jong Un as General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, Xi Jinping said, shows the deep trust and full support given by the WPK, the government, and the people of North Korea to Kim Jong Un.

"The 9th Congress of the WPK was held at a very important time when the WPK and North Korea are ready to carry forward the past and usher in the future, and the success of its implementation has a very important meaning," Xi said.

He hopes that under the strong leadership of the WPK Central Committee led by Kim Jong Un, the WPK and the North Korean people will push their socialist struggle to an unprecedented level.

China and North Korea, said Xi Jinping, are socialist neighbors who are friendly and committed to mutual assistance and mutual support.

"Protecting, strengthening, and developing China-North Korea relations has always been a firm strategic policy of the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government," said Xi Jinping.

In recent years, various meetings between Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un have been said to have effectively directed the positive development of bilateral relations.

"Faced with the increasingly rapid global changes that have never happened in the last century and an international landscape full of turmoil and uncertainty, I am ready to work closely with Kim Jong Un. Together, we will direct our respective departments and regions to faithfully implement the important consensus we have built," said Xi Jinping.

He also hoped to weave a new dynamic chapter in the China-North Korea friendship.

"This effort will not only advance the socialist construction initiatives of the two countries but also deepen the friendship ties and improve the welfare of our people, thus making a significant contribution to peace, stability, development, and prosperity of the region and the world at large," said Xi Jinping.

Kim Jong Un returned to be secretary general of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on Sunday (22/2). He has served as chairman after taking over the highest position from his late father Kim Jong Il, who died in December 2011.

Kim Jong Il was then posthumously given the title of eternal general secretary of the ruling party in April 2012, while a new title as chairman was awarded to Kim Jong Un in May 2016.

In the 2021 congress, the party revived the post of secretary-general as the highest position replacing the chairman.

In announcing the latest congress decision, the North Korean news agency, KCNA, said "the war prevention capability by making nuclear power its core has significantly increased" under Kim Jong Un's leadership.

Kim was also said to have "achieved valuable success" in implementing the five-year national economic development plan, as well as setting policies for "stable development of a self-reliant economy," the news agency added.