China pledged to strengthen bonds with isolated North Korea on Monday, calling their relationship a boon to peace, while reports of swoops on North Korean ships underscored strains behind a recent easing of tension. The renewed courting between the two communist neighbors came in messages between Chinese President Hu Jintao and North Korea's top leader, Kim Jong-il, who on Sunday greeted Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao at the start of a visit intended to bolster bilateral relations. The messages marked 60 years since the countries established formal ties on October 6, 1949, and made no mention of the North's nuclear weapons program, stressing instead their focus on shoring up sometimes tense ties.
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China ‘vows’ to stand by North Korea
