Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi met Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Ambassador to China Ri Ryong Nam on Thursday, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Yang hailed the development of bilateral ties and said that the relations between the two countries have entered a new period under the leadership of their respective leaders.

China is ready to maintain high-level exchanges with the DPRK, strengthen strategic coordination and promote pragmatic cooperation to push the bilateral ties to a higher level and make contributions to regional peace and stability.

Ri, for his part, reaffirmed that the DPRK is ready to work with China to continue deepening the traditional friendship between the two countries.

The two sides also exchanged views on issues of common concern and agreed to enhance communication and coordination in the future.