Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday, in a verbal message to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, that Beijing will uphold a political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue, according to Chinese state media Xinhua.

Xi also said he wants to make efforts for solid development of relations with North Korea.

Xi's messages were delivered by senior Chinese diplomat Song Tao to Ri Ryong-nam, North Korea's new ambassador to China, during their meeting in Beijing earlier in the day, Xinhua reported.

North Korea and China have displayed their friendly relations in recent years amid Beijing's deepening rivalry with the United States and stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington. (Yonhap)