A spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry said Friday that Beijing applauds "the North and South Korean leaders for taking this historic step, and commend their political judgment and courage."
"An ancient Chinese poem says: ‘Disasters are never powerful enough to separate real brothers, and a smile is all they need to eliminate the hard feelings.’ We hope they take this historic meeting at Panmunjom as an opportunity to further launch a new path leading to lasting peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," she said.
China and North Korea are historic allies who boast an alliance forged in blood -- more than 130,000 Chinese troops, including the son of Mao Zedong, died defending the North during the Korean War. They still maintain a mutual defense treaty, but the relationship has always been an uneasy one.
Though Mao once called the two countries as close as lips and teeth, their bond has become strained since Kim took power in 2011. Kim has purged several key officials with close ties to Beijing, including his uncle, Jang Song Thaek, and continued to test missiles and nuclear weapons in defiance of China's wishes.
Kim had never traveled abroad as leader of his country until last month, when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
North Korea is still dependent on China for economic support -- some 90% of its imports come from across the Yalu and Tumen rivers that divide the two countries -- but China is worried that Pyongyang could strike a deal that brings it closer to Beijing's adversaries.
Summit meetings resume
Moon and Kim have returned from their walk and are back in the Peace House for afternoon meetings.
After the ceremonial tree planting, Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un took a friendly stroll through the DMZ to a footbridge that was recently repainted the same blue seen on the Korean Unification Flag.
They walked past an old, rusted sign which indicates the military demarcation line.
Kim and Moon sat down on chairs that were set up there and held a roughly half hour one-on-one conversation.
What they talked about is unknown as of now. None of their aides were in attendance and it was just the two of them, save for some photographers and videographers.
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