North Korea has proposed fostering cooperation with China to jointly fight water pollution on cross-border rivers, China's state media reported Thursday.

The proposal was made by Pak Ho-yong, vice minister of North Korea's Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection, to China's vice minister of Environmental Protection, Li Ganjie, during their talks in Beijing earlier this week, the China Environment News reported, quoting the two officials.

North Korea and China share a 1,334-kilometer-long border and they share two main rivers on the northern tip of the Korean Peninsula, the Amnok River, called the Yalu River in China, and the Tumen River.

There are few reports about pollution on the two cross-border rivers, but China has been plagued by major air and water pollution across the country associated with its fast-growing economy.

North Korea "hopes for China's active support, particularly in the fields of water-pollution protection, management and environmental monitoring for shared rivers," the report quoted Pak telling Li during the talks held on Tuesday.

Li briefed Pak on China's efforts to tackle pollution and other environment-related policies, according to the report.

Li also expects to step up cooperation with North Korea in the field of environmental protection, adding that working-level officials from the two nations will "soon" hold their first meeting to discuss about environmental issues, the report said. (Yonhap)