BEIJING (AP) \u2014 Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged mutual support and enhanced cooperation during talks in Beijing on the sidelines of festivities commemorating the end of World War II, state media said Thursday.<\/p>\n
Xi and Kim, along with top officials from their countries, met at Beijing\u2019s Great Hall of the People a day after Kim attended a Chinese military parade<\/a> alongside other foreign leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kim is making a rare trip outside North Korea.<\/p>\n Xi highlighted the \u201ctraditional friendship\u201d between China and North Korea and pledged to consolidate and boost relations, according to a readout of their statements published by state broadcaster CCTV.<\/p>\n \u201cThis position will not change regardless of how the international situation evolves,\u201d Xi told Kim, according to CCTV.<\/p>\n China has been North Korea\u2019s biggest trading partner and aid provider, though questions have lingered about the strength of their bilateral relationship.<\/p>\n In recent years, Kim\u2019s foreign policy has focused heavily on Russia. He has sent combat troops and ammunition to back Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine<\/a> in return for economic and military assistance. At a meeting with Kim<\/a> in Beijing after the parade, Putin praised the bravery of North Korean soldiers<\/a> in the fighting.<\/p>\n But experts say that Kim would feel the need to prepare for the possible end of the Russia-Ukraine war.<\/p>\n Kim, on his first visit to China in six years, brought his young daughter<\/a>, adding to speculation that she\u2019s being primed as the country\u2019s next leader.<\/p>\n On Wednesday, he joined 26 foreign leaders who watched the parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It was the first time that Kim had joined an event with a large group of world leaders since taking office in late 2011.<\/p>\n During his meeting with Xi, Kim lauded the \u201cfriendly feelings\u201d between North Korea and China, which he pledged would persist \u201cregardless of how the international situation changes.\u201d<\/p>\n Kim said North Korea was ready to boost exchanges with China at all levels and \u201cdeepen mutually beneficial economic and trade cooperation,\u201d according to CCTV.<\/p>\n