Kim and Xi agree to expand cooperation and deepen strategic ties during Pyongyang Summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and China's Xi Jinping agreed to expand cooperation and strengthen ties between the two countries in various sectors in a closely watched summit on Monday in Pyongyang, North Korea's state media KCNA said on Tuesday.

Strengthen strategic cooperation and ties

The two leaders agreed to develop bilateral relations into a new chapter, KCNA said.

Kim told Xi that he would fully support the "One China principle," which Beijing views as meaning both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one country, regardless of how the international situation changes.

Xi said the two countries should strengthen strategic cooperation and firmly safeguard their respective sovereignty and security interests, according to the report.

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Xi arrived at Pyongyang’s main square on Monday, where a military honor guard and thousands of people, including children carrying balloons and hopping, staged a welcoming ceremony.

Xi's first visit to North Korea in 7 years

Xi made his first visit to North Korea in seven years, where he was greeted by Kim and his wife Ri Sol Ju at Pyongyang’s international airport.

Xi and Kim last met in Beijing in September, after viewing a military parade alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and other foreign leaders.

Deepen trade

The two leaders also agreed to deepen strategic communication between the two countries through visits by high-level officials, KCNA added.

Xi will try to demonstrate China’s “sway over the Korean Peninsula” and “a leadership role in entire Northeast Asia in the age of strategic competition with the U.S.,” said Kwak Gil Sup, the head of One Korea Center, a website specializing in North Korea affairs.

The North Korean media did not mention whether the leaders discussed Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program or not.