Chinese President 
Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent congratulatory letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for the North's 78th founding anniversary, pledging closer "strategic" ties with Pyongyang. Both letters were published by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency as the country marked its Sept. 9, 1948, founding by Kim Il-sung, the current leader's late grandfather. The full texts ran on the front page of the party newspaper Rodong Sinmun, CNA reported, citing Reuters.
What did Xi's letter say? Xi credited Kim with "a series of development successes" in recent years, achieved by focusing on "economic and social construction." "It is the consistent and steadfast policy of the Chinese party and government to successfully defend, consolidate and develop the China-DPRK relations," Xi said. He said his visit to Pyongyang in June had opened "a new chapter" in bilateral ties, and vowed to work with Kim to accelerate the development of each side's party and state affairs. He also said he would keep strengthening strategic guidance of relations between the Chinese Communist Party and North Korea's Workers' Party and between the two countries, CNA reported.
What did Putin's letter say? Putin said North Korea "has made remarkable successes in the socio-economic fields and extremely strengthened its position in the world arena." He said relations between Moscow and Pyongyang "have been established always on the basis of the principle of friendship, good neighborliness and mutual assistance." He pledged to "continue to do the closest joint work to further consolidate the comprehensive strategic partnership between our countries," which he said would "contribute to ensuring regional security and establishing a new, more just and multi-polarized world order."
Where do Pyongyang's ties with Beijing and Moscow stand? North Korea, which CNA reported has balanced between China and the former Soviet Union and later Russia since its founding, is now being courted by both. China has long been North Korea's largest trading partner, but ties appeared to cool in recent years as Pyongyang deepened military cooperation with Russia, the Korea Times reported. In recent months the relationship has shown signs of renewed momentum, including a visit by Kim to Beijing last September. Pyongyang has shipped thousands of containers of munitions and deployed about 15,000 troops to assist Russian forces in the Kursk region, South Korea's National Intelligence Service has said, estimating that roughly 2,000 of those troops have been killed.
Figures referenced: Xi Jinping. — JudgeMarket.
