Kim Jong-un takes the unusual step of marking the 73rd birthday of Xi Jinping… North Korea·China grow closer - 경향신문

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North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a commemorative photo during their summit on the 8th. Korean Central News Agency·Yonhap News

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message and a flower basket to Chinese President Xi Jinping for his 73rd birthday, the Korean Central News Agency reported on the 16th. Until now, North Korea had made public its congratulations only on the milestone birthdays of Xi (his 60th in 2013, 65th in 2018, and 70th in 2023), so this public congratulation is being regarded as unusual.

According to the agency, on the 15th, which marked the 73rd birthday of Xi Jinping, Kim said in the ‘congratulatory words’ he sent to Xi, “We warmly congratulate Comrade General Secretary Xi Jinping on his birthday,” and stated, “We sincerely wish that the General Secretary, in good health, will achieve even greater successes as the core of leadership of the Communist Party of China in leading the cause of socialist construction in China.”

The agency reported that the ribbon on the congratulatory flower basket he sent bore the phrase, “We warmly congratulate Comrade General Secretary Xi Jinping on his birthday.” The message and the flower basket were delivered by the North Korean ambassador to China to an official of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.

It is the first time in three years, since the 70th birthday in 2023, that the sending of a congratulatory message and a wreath for the birthday of Xi Jinping has been made public. This is interpreted as demonstrating the growing closeness of the two countries following the 8~9th visit to North Korea by Xi Jinping.

A Ministry of Unification official told reporters the same day, “In the past, on milestone birthdays of Xi such as 60, 65, and 70, Chairman Kim sent a congratulatory message or a flower basket, but this time it was delivered even though it was a non-milestone year,” adding, “It is presumed to reflect the recent close North Korea·China relationship, including the visit to North Korea by Xi.”