Top Chinese, North Korean generals meet in Beijing

China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia attends the opening session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2019. (FILE PHOTO by WANG ZHAO / AFP)

BEIJING — Top military leaders from North Korea and China have recommitted themselves to strengthened exchanges between their armed forces during a meeting in Beijing.

The meeting Saturday came as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised another test-firing of an unspecified new weapon, seen as an attempt to pressure Washington and Seoul over nuclear negotiations and joint military exercises.

The official Xinhua News agency says Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of the Central Military Commission, met Kim Su Kil, director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army.

Zhang said China’s military wanted closer communication to “promote cooperation and mutual support, so as to contribute to the consolidation and development of bilateral relations and regional peace and stability.”

China is North Korea’s most important ally.