Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the Friendship Tower in Pyongyang and the Central Cadre School of the Korean Workers' Party on Tuesday, the second day of his state visit to North Korea, reaffirming the blood-forged alliance and traditional friendship between the two countries.
According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, Xi visited the Sino-Korean Friendship Tower at the foot of Moranbong in Pyongyang that morning, accompanied by his wife Peng Liyuan. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju also joined them.
The Friendship Tower is a monument erected in 1959 to honor Chinese People's Volunteer Army soldiers who died fighting in the Korean War. Senior Chinese officials have made a point of visiting the site to lay flowers on every trip to Pyongyang, using the occasion to emphasize the two countries' blood alliance.
Xi observed a moment of silence before a wreath bearing the inscription "Chinese People's Volunteer Army martyrs are immortal." He and Kim then watched a military honor guard parade before touring the tower's memorial hall, where they viewed photographs and oil paintings on display. Xi also looked through a roster of fallen soldiers and shared the stories of some of the casualties with Kim.
Xinhua reported that Xi and Kim agreed the shared history of fighting together in the 1950s represents an enduring memory for both nations. The two leaders said they would jointly manage memorial facilities for the volunteer army's fallen soldiers and strengthen revolutionary tradition education and youth education to carry forward and develop the friendship between the two countries.
Xi then visited the Central Cadre School of the Korean Workers' Party, with Kim as his guide. It was the first time a top Chinese leader had visited the party's cadre school.
Xi received bouquets from student representatives and toured a classroom with Kim. According to Xinhua, Kim nodded repeatedly as the two observed a class on China-North Korea relations in progress. The two leaders also took part in a tree-planting ceremony on the school grounds, together planting a single fir tree. Xinhua said the evergreen fir, which stays green through all four seasons, symbolizes the enduring friendship between the two countries.
In front of the tree, a stone marker was placed bearing the phrase "중조우의 만고장청" — meaning "China-North Korea friendship is forever green" — inscribed in both Chinese and hangul.
Tuesday's schedule reaffirmed the blood alliance forged through the Korean War and signaled Xi's intent to extend the bond between the two ruling parties to future generations. Since arriving in Pyongyang on Monday, Xi has used opening remarks at summit talks, speeches at a banquet, and a contribution to the Rodong Sinmun to emphasize ties with North Korea and signal his commitment to deepening cooperation in areas including the economy and security.
kate01@heraldcorp.com
