Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged that Beijing's longstanding alliance with North Korea would remain steadfast despite shifting global dynamics, underscoring China's continued support for Kim Jong Un's government. The commitment highlights the strategic importance Beijing places on its relationship with Pyongyang as both nations navigate evolving international pressures.

Xi Jinping Says China-North Korea Ties Will Remain Strong

Xi stated that China's commitment to its traditional friendship with North Korea would remain unchanged regardless of how the international situation changes, according to letters exchanged with Kim and published Friday by North Korea's state-run Korean Central News Agency. He emphasized that the Chinese Communist Party and government would continue to attach great importance to the traditional friendship between the two countries and would firmly support North Korea's socialist cause under Kim.

Kim Jong Un Calls Bilateral Ties A 'New Strategic Level'

In his letter to Xi, Kim said cooperation and friendship between the neighboring countries had reached a "new strategic level," signaling closer political alignment between Pyongyang and Beijing. The exchange of letters coincided with the 65th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, signed on July 11, 1961. The agreement remains China's only active mutual defense treaty.

High-Level Visits Reinforce China-North Korea Partnership

The messages came as North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song arrived in Beijing on Friday for a three-day visit to commemorate the treaty anniversary. The anniversary follows Xi's visit to Pyongyang last month—his first trip to North Korea in seven years—where he and Kim agreed to deepen cooperation across political, economic and cultural sectors.

China successfully recovered the first stage of a carrier rocket during an orbital launch test on Friday, a breakthrough that moves Beijing closer to American reusable rocket capabilities long dominated by SpaceX. The Long March 10B rocket lifted off from Hainan island in southern China and deployed a satellite into orbit, according to state media. About six minutes after the first stage separated from the upper stage, the booster returned to a floating sea platform, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

The recovery used a sea-based system with hooks and a net, rather than the landing legs used by SpaceX’s Falcon 9. Video posted by a CCTV-affiliated social media account showed the booster smoking near the top as it descended vertically toward the platform. The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said the mission "signifies a historic breakthrough in China’s reusable rocket technology and a solid foundation for accelerating the improvement of China’s space access capabilities."

Reusable Rockets Reshape Launch Competition

The test puts China closer to matching U.S. reusable launch technology, which is seen as critical to reducing costs, speeding launch turnaround and building large satellite networks. The successful landing follows failed tests by other Chinese rockets in recent months as state-backed and commercial companies race to develop reusable systems. Beijing has said it wants to become a "strong aerospace nation," and reusable rockets could give China strategic advantages as space becomes more closely tied to defense, communications and surveillance.

Reusable boosters form the backbone of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which began routinely landing Falcon 9 first stages nearly a decade ago and now dominates the global launch market. Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, completed its first successful New Glenn first-stage landing last November, adding another U.S. player to the reusable rocket race.

Lunar Race Adds Strategic Stakes

The Long March 10 series also supports China’s plans for crewed lunar missions. The development comes as the United States and China compete to establish a lasting presence near the lunar south pole, where water ice could support long-term bases and future Mars missions.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said recently that the United States is "very much in a space race" with China. Speaking on CBS, he said China "will land their taikonauts on the moon" and warned the difference between U.S. and Chinese timelines could be "months, not years."