The Chinese president on Thursday said Beijing supports Pyongyang establishing favorable conditions for “self-development” by expediting the political settlement of issues on the Korean peninsula, DPRK state-run media reported on Friday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un hosted a grand banquet for Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday night, party daily the Rodong Sinmun and the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, adding that the talks at proceeded in a “warm and amicable atmosphere.”

In his speech at the banquet, Xi emphasized that Beijing stands by Pyongyang’s roadmap to promote conditions for independent economic development by striving to resolve nuclear