North Korean leader Kim Jong-il meets Chinese President Hu Jintao at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, in this April 19, 2004, file photo. AP-Yonhap

A senior Chinese official has said Beijing will continue support for North Korea on the 80th anniversary of the birth of the North's late former leader Kim Jong-il, describing their relations as "forged by blood," according to Pyongyang's state media Friday.

Ji Bingxuan, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, made the remarks Wednesday during an event held at the North Korean Embassy in Beijing to mark the anniversary, the North's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

Ji delivered greetings from Chinese President Xi Jinping to the North's leader Kim Jong-un as he met with Ambassador Ri Ryong-nam, and expressed thanks for the North supporting China on the international stage.

"He expressed earnest gratitude for our country's recent support for China on the global stage and said that China, which highly values the China-North Korea ties, will continue to support North Korea and make efforts with North Korean comrades to further expand and develop the two countries' traditional relations," the KCNA said.

Earlier this month, Kim sent a message to Xi to congratulate China on the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, and stressed the "invincible strategic relations" between the two countries. (Yonhap)