N. Korean FM congratulates Chinese counterpart following new Beijing Cabinet confirmation

This June 11, 2022 file image, captured from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, shows North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui. Yonhap

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui has sent a congratulatory message to her Chinese counterpart following the confirmation of Beijing's new Cabinet, according to state media Tuesday.

In the message sent to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Sunday, Choe also expressed her willingness to develop the bilateral ties to a new level and strengthen their "strategic and tactical cooperation" in the field of diplomacy, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Choe also praised the traditional friendship between North Korea and China as having displayed its "unique vitality and invincibility" amid complex international politics, the report said.

Qin was among China's five new state councilors approved by China's National People's Congress (NPC) in the country's once-every-five-years Cabinet reshuffle. China's rubber-stamp parliament unanimously approved President Xi Jinping's third term Friday.

North Korean Premier Kim Tok-hun and Choe Ryong-hae, chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, have also sent similar messages to their respective Chinese counterparts, the KCNA said.

Kim Jong-un, the North's leader, sent a message to Xi on Friday to extend "the warmest congratulations" for his reelection as China's leader for a third term.

North Korea has been deepening its ties with China, the North's traditional ally and economic benefactor, amid global sanctions on its nuclear and missile programs. (Yonhap)