Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, sent a reply message to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and president of the People's Republic of China, on September 21.

The message said:

I express thanks to you for sending warm congratulations and sincere wishes on the occasion of the 77th founding anniversary of the DPRK.

When I participated in the commemorations of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War and had a meaningful meeting with you during my recent visit to the People's Republic of China, I could feel well the invariable support and special friendly feelings of the Chinese Party, government and people towards our Party, government and people.

It is the steadfast stand of the Workers' Party of Korea and the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to further strengthen and develop the traditional relations of friendship and cooperation between the DPRK and China as required by the times.

We believe that we, together with the Chinese comrades, will be able to provide the peoples of the two countries with greater welfare by more vigorously promoting the development of the DPRK-China friendly relations in the common struggle for accomplishing the socialist cause.

I wish the Chinese people greater success in the course of successfully fulfilling the 14th Five-Year Plan and building a modern socialist state in an all-round way under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with Comrade General Secretary as its core.