BEIJING, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) -- General Secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday sent a message of congratulations to Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the 74th anniversary of the DPRK's founding.

Xi pointed out that over the past 74 years, the people of the DPRK have closely united around the WPK and forged ahead, having made important achievements in promoting socialist construction.

He also said that in recent years, guided by the principles and policies set at the eighth WPK Congress, the DPRK people have constantly scored new outcomes in developing the economy and improving people's livelihood, and fought a successful battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, about which China, as a good comrade, good neighbor and good friend of the DPRK, is sincerely happy.

It is believed that under the leadership of Comrade General Secretary Kim and the WPK, the brotherly DPRK people will surely advance the socialist cause of the country for new development and lift it to a new level, Xi added.

Xi pointed out that China and the DPRK, linked by mountains and rivers, have enjoyed a traditional friendship that grows stronger with time.

Xi said he has reached a series of important consensuses with Comrade General Secretary on drawing a blueprint for the development of relations between the two parties and states, as well as enriching the China-DPRK friendship.

The friendship between China and the DPRK has become more deeply rooted in the hearts of the two people, he said, adding that the exchanges and cooperation between the two countries have continued to advance, and the two sides have supported each other on issues of major concern, demonstrating the vitality of the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK.

Xi stressed that the world has entered a new period of turbulence and transformation as profound changes unseen in a century are evolving rapidly.

He said China is willing to maintain strategic communication with the DPRK, strengthen coordination and cooperation, jointly safeguard, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations so as to better benefit the two countries and their people, and contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region and the wider world.