PYONGYANG, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and Chinese President, and his wife, Peng Liyuan, paid homage to the China-DPRK Friendship Tower on Tuesday, opening the second day of his state visit to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Upon their arrival at the Friendship Tower, which stands at the foot of Moran Hill in downtown Pyongyang, the couple was greeted by Kim Jong Un, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the DPRK, and his wife, Ri Sol Ju.
The Friendship Tower was built in 1959 to honor martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV) in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-1953).
Three massive gilded Korean characters reading "Friendship Tower" adorned the facade of the stately monument, gleaming in the summer sunlight.
After the national anthems of China and the DPRK were played, and honor guards laid the flower basket, Xi approached the flower basket and arranged the ribbon, which read, "The martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army live forever."
In a solemn atmosphere, all present paid silent tribute to the martyrs. Afterward, Xi and Kim watched a march-past by the honor guard.
Since the tower's erection, it has been expanded by the DPRK and renovated several times. Commemorations have been held at the site on key occasions, including anniversaries of the CPV's entry into the DPRK to fight in the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the Korean War armistice, and China's Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day.
In a previous state visit to the DPRK seven years ago, Xi and Peng also paid homage to CPV martyrs at the Friendship Tower, accompanied by Kim and Ri. Kim has also visited the tower on multiple occasions to lay wreaths and pay tribute to CPV martyrs.
Those past commemorations, along with Tuesday's ceremony, embody deep remembrance of the revolutionary martyrs, and underscore the importance both sides attach to preserving and carrying forward their traditional friendship.
The monument consists of 1,025 pieces of granite and marble, symbolizing Oct. 25, 1950, the date on which the CPV entered the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea.
Inside the Friendship Tower, an exhibition hall displays a rich collection of historical materials, photographs and oil paintings, depicting the friendship sealed in blood between the two peoples during the war.
At the center of the exhibition hall stands a one-tonne marble pedestal bearing volumes listing the names of fallen CPV soldiers, many of whose names are familiar to generations of Chinese people.
Xi examined the exhibits and carefully looked through the roster of the martyrs, briefing Kim on the fallen soldiers.
The two leaders agreed that the years when China and the DPRK fought side by side in the 1950s are an eternal historical memory shared by both sides.
More than seven decades ago, the CPV crossed the Yalu River and fought alongside the DPRK people. After two years and nine months of arduous fighting, they secured victory in the war.
"During the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, the party, government and people of the DPRK cared for, supported and stood by the Chinese People's Volunteers," Xi said in an address at a meeting held in October 2020 to mark the 70th anniversary of CPV entry into the war.
Through shared hardships and life-and-death struggles, the peoples and armed forces of the two countries forged a friendship seeded in blood, he added in the address.
Also on Tuesday, Xi, accompanied by Kim, visited the Central Cadres Training School of the WPK in Pyongyang. In the wooded area between teaching buildings, the two leaders jointly planted a fir tree. The fir tree remains evergreen throughout the year, symbolizing the enduring friendship between China and the DPRK.
As Xi has noted in his talks with Kim on Monday, no matter how the international situation changes, the Chinese party and government's firm stance on highly valuing China-DPRK traditional friendship will not change. ■
