High-level North Korean diplomat Ri Su Yong in Beijing on Sunday expressed his country's commitment to strengthening "friendly" ties with China, Xinhua reported, in a meeting with Xi Jinping ahead of a concert by a visiting DPRK art troupe.

In another public display of increasingly close ties between Beijing and Pyongyang, Ri, who serves as a vice chairman of the Workers Party of Korea's (WPK) Central Committee and head of its International Department, used the meeting to extend "warm greetings and good wishes" to Xi from the DPRK leader.