China's position on North Korea ties 'will not change' — Xi

Chinese President Xi Jinping stressed that Beijing's position on relations with Pyongyang "will not change," during a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un , state media reported on Thursday.

Kim is in China on a rare foreign trip and, alongside Xi, met Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Chinese military parade on Wednesday in Beijing. On display at the event were underwater drones, missiles and laser weapons.

What did Xi tell Kim?

China attaches "great importance to the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK and [is] willing to maintain, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations," state news agency Xinhua reported, using the acronym for North Korea.

"No matter how the international situation changes, this position will not change."

Ahead of the meeting, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Xi and Kim would have in-depth exchanges of views on bilateral relations, adding that Kim's attendance at the parade and the talks with Xi "carry great significance."

How symbolic is Kim's visit to China?

Kim arrived in Beijing by train on Tuesday and was among 26 foreign leaders who watched the parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

It was the first time that the North Korean leader had joined an event with a large group of world leaders since taking office in late 2011.

Kim was accompanied by his young daughter, on his first visit to China in six years. Many believe she's being primed as his successor.

China is North Korea's most important ally, their relationship stemming from the bloodshed of the Korean War in the 1950s.

The presence of Kim, Xi and Putin at the parade has been viewed by some as a collective show of strength against the United States.

Trump said as much in a social media post, telling Xi to give his warmest regards to Putin and Kim "as you conspire against The United States of America."

Putin rejected the notion at a news conference in Beijing on Wednesday, saying no one has expressed anything negative about the Trump administration during his trip to China.

"The President of the United States is not without a sense of humor," Putin said.

Though China, North Korea and Russia are entangled in separate disputes with Washington, they have yet to form a clear three-way pact.

Edited by: Rana Taha