Seoul - North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un on Friday received a letter from the new head of China's Communist Party Xi Jinping, state media said.
The letter, whose contents were not revealed, was delivered by a senior Chinese Communist Party delegation led by Li Jianguo, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim expressed expectations that China would “attain the strategic goal for building a comprehensively well-off society of socialism” under Xi's leadership, KCNA said.
Earlier this month North Korea was one of the first to congratulate newly appointed general-secretary Xi, who is expected to succeed Hu Jintao as national president next year.
The North's reliance on China, its sole major ally, has increased in recent years as international sanctions over its missile and nuclear programmes have strangled its ability to secure international credit and foreign trade.
Beijing has provided food and fuel aid to the North and has urged Pyongyang to launch economic reforms. - Sapa-AFP