Chinese President Xi Jinping's two-day state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is a major diplomatic action that comes as the world is undergoing changes unseen in a century and the international situation is seeing complex and profound changes, a senior Chinese official said on Friday.

According to Song Tao, head of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the visit, which coincides with the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and the DPRK, is also Xi's first trip to the neighboring country since he became the Chinese president and general secretary of the Central Committee of the CPC, which bears key significance for the development of bilateral ties.

A new chapter for traditional friendship

The DPRK has attached a great importance to Xi's visit and received the Chinese leader with grand and warm welcome, Song noted, saying that Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, and his wife, Ri Sol Ju, welcomed Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, at the airport, and accompanied the couple for various activities during the visit.

The two leaders had on multiple occasions conducted friendly, frank and in-depth exchanges, and have reached key consensus on writing new chapters for the China-DPRK friendship, and safeguarding peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula, said Song.

During the visit, Xi has engaged a series of exchanges with officials and ordinary people in the country, while hundreds of thousands of residents in Pyongyang lined up the streets to welcome and later see off the Chinese president. Xi also watched a large group callisthenics and art performance, which was specially prepared for him.

Song said these have fully reflected a deep and profound friendship of the party, government and people of the DPRK towards the party, government and people of China, and demonstrated the vitality of the friendship between the two sides.

He also said Xi's visit was a visit of friendship and peace, and has displayed China's determination to stay committed to consolidating the traditional China-DPRK friendship, supporting the implementation of DPRK's new strategic line and promoting a political solution to solving the nuclear issue in the peninsula.

The traditional friendship between the two countries has been forged and fostered by their elder generation of leaders, and the top leaders of the two sides have maintained a tradition to keep a close contact, said Song.

Xi's trip, said Song, has realized not only the historical exchange of visits by the top leaders of the two parties and countries in such an important year as the one that marks the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic ties between China and the DPRK, but also the 5th gathering between them in 15 months, adding that it will be a much-told story in the two countries' high-level exchanges.

During the visit, Xi and Kim have conducted in-depth exchanges on furthering the development of the China-DPRK relationship, and have reached extensive major consensus, which helps draw a blueprint for the future of bilateral ties, Song said.

The Chinese president pointed out that the China-DPRK relationship has entered a new historical era, adding that the CPC and the Chinese government will stay firmly committed to maintaining, consolidating and nurturing the bilateral ties, and China is willing to work with the DPRK in creating a bright future for the relationship.

Song said the visit is a huge political support and encouragement for the party, government and people of the DPRK and has shown the world the unbreakable China-DPRK friendship, adding that both sides have agreed that they will step up high-level exchanges and strategic communication so as to promote an even greater achievement in the traditional friendship and the relations between the two parties and countries.