North Korean state media reported on the upcoming anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) for the first time in three years on Wednesday, in the latest sign that relations between the two countries are on the upswing.

The Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang held a banquet on Tuesday to commemorate the 98th anniversary of the PLA’s founding, North Korea’s party-run Rodong Sinmun reported the following day.

The Chinese Ambassador Wang Yajun hosted the event, and guests included the DPRK vice defense minister Kim Kang Il, vice director of the General Political Bureau of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) Pak