North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on his first trip to China in about a year, met Wang Huning, China's fourth-ranking official and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and affirmed his intent to expand economic cooperation between the two countries. Kim toured an automobile plant with Wang and said the "prospects for cooperation between the two sides are very broad."
Wang personally welcomed Kim in Dandong, Liaoning province, and accompanied him through his schedule in China, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported on the 24th. Xinhua made no separate mention of Premier Li Qiang, China's second-ranking official, whom a South Korean ruling party official had earlier said met with Kim.
In his talks with Wang, Kim said he was "grateful that China has long supported and assisted Korea's socialist cause," stressing that the "prospects for cooperation between the two sides are very broad."
He added that North Korea "admires how the Chinese people, under the leadership of General Secretary Xi Jinping, have achieved development results that the world is watching and have gained the important international standing they deserve," and said he hoped to "carry on our historic friendship with China and expand practical cooperation to bring substantial benefits to the peoples of both countries."
Wang said Kim's visit "carries important significance in continuing the traditional friendship between China and Korea and consolidating goodwill among the people, as well as in deepening political mutual trust and jointly pursuing cooperative development."
He also said he hoped "to expand people-to-people exchanges and economic and trade cooperation on the occasion of the opening of the new China-North Korea Yalu River bridge, and to bring greater benefits to the peoples of both countries."
After the talks, the two visited an automobile plant in Dandong. Xinhua reported that Kim "visited an automobile plant in Dandong with Chairman Wang, inspected the production floor and was briefed on the situation there."
Xinhua added that Wang went out to the new Yalu River bridge to see Kim off as he departed Dandong.