Chinese official meets with North Korea parliament

CTVNEWS

Chinese official meets with North Korea parliament

The Associated Press Published Tuesday, July 12, 2011 12:44PM EDT

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, sitting at center, Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang, sitting third left, head of a Chinese delegation to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance Between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kim Jong Il's son Kim Jong Un, sitting second left, pose with other officials during their meeting in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Tuesday, July 12, 2011. (AP / Xinhua, Zhang Li)

Text:

SEOUL, South Korea - A senior Chinese official has held talks with the head of North Korea's parliament as the two countries mark the 50th anniversary of a treaty of friendship.

Footage from Associated Press Television News in Pyongyang showed Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Dejiang greeting Kim Yong Nam in Pyongyang on Tuesday and later touring Kim Il Sung University and its computer library.

Zhang arrived in Pyongyang on Sunday and was due to leave Wednesday.

The visit comes as China and North Korea deepen economic ties following a May trip to China by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

The countries fought together in the 1950-53 Korean War, and China remains North Korea's most important ally.