NHK WORLD RADIO JAPAN - English News at 23:00 (JST), June 09

Yamaguchi Hiroaki· Host0:00

[news jingle] Hello, and welcome to NHK Newsline. I'm Yamaguchi Hiroaki in Tokyo. Chinese President Xi Jinping has returned to Beijing from Pyongyang. During his two-day visit, he met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. China's Foreign Ministry reported Xi and Kim on Tuesday visited a tower in Pyongyang that commemorates China's participation in the Korean War. According to the Ministry, the two leaders agreed on the shared notion of an eternal historical memory. The Ministry also said there was a luncheon attended by a small number of people. It quoted Xi as saying he had in-depth discussions there on safeguarding peace and stability in the region and the world. The Ministry also quoted Kim as saying Xi's visit was a complete success, sending a positive message to the world that China and North Korea are further strengthening their friendly ties. At their summit on Monday, Xi expressed his intention to bolster diplomatic and military exchanges between the two countries. He also mentioned expanding cooperation in economy, trade, and people-to-people exchanges. The two leaders agreed to develop their traditional friendship. Xi's visit to North Korea was his first since 2019.