China's Xi vows to steer ties with North Korea toward 'long-term' development

Chinese President Xi Jinping has said he is ready to work with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to steer bilateral relations toward "long-term" and "stable" development, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday.

Xi made the remarks in response to Kim's congratulatory message on the 105th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to the Korean Central News Agency.

Expressing his "sincere" thanks to Kim, the Chinese president said North Korea's Workers' Party of Korea and the CCP are "Marxist ruling parties."

"I am ready to lead the China-DPRK relations to a long-term, sound and stable development and thus promote the stable and long-term development of the socialist cause of the two countries," the message read.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

Xi paid a two-day state visit to Pyongyang in June, his first trip to North Korea in seven years.

North Korea and China are commemorating the 65th anniversary of the North-China Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance, which was signed on July 11.