China's President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met North Korean envoy Ri Su-yong amid the recent strains in the bilateral relationship between the two communist countries. Ties between Pyongyang and Beijing have suffered due to North Korea's defiance of China's call to curb its nuclear ambition.

Ri, one of the top lieutenants of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, reaffirmed Pyongyang's commitment to its controversial nuclear program soon after arriving in Beijing for a three-day visit.

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After meeting with the North Korean envoy, President Xi called on all parties involved in the Korean peninsula to exercise constraint.

"China's position on the (Korean Peninsula) issue is consistent and clear. We hope relevant parties maintain calm and restraint, strengthen communication and dialogue, and safeguard regional peace and stability," Xi said, according to Xinhua.          

Xi noted that China attaches "great importance" to its friendly relation with Pyongyang and is willing to make an effort to consolidate the relationship further. According to Chinese state media, Ri reciprocated Xi's gesture by passing Kim's verbal message, expressing the North Korean leader's sincere desire to work with China to maintain peace in the Korean peninsula.

It is not clear whether the US' plan to deploy its highly-advanced 'THAAD missile system' to South Korea was discussed during the meeting. However, experts say that an issue of such importance is likely to have come up. China opposes the plan to deploy the missile system to the Korean peninsula due to national security concerns.

Experts have touted the meeting between Xi and Ri as immensely important to cool down the recent tensions between the communist neighbors. The relationship between China and North Korea has been frayed since Pyongyang conducted its fourth nuclear missile test earlier this year, in clear defiance of warnings from the international community.

In response, China has voiced commitment to implementing tough United Nations sanctions on North Korea.

TagsNorth Korea, china, Xi Jinping, Ri Su Yong, China and North Korea