BEIJING - China is willing to work closely with the North Korean legislature to help relations reach a "higher level," China's top legislator Zhao Leji was quoted as saying by the foreign ministry on Thursday.

"It has always been our strategic unwavering policy to maintain, consolidate and develop China-DPRK relations," Zhao quoted China's President Xi Jinping as saying when he met with North Korean politician Choe Ryong Hae.

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) is North Korea's official name. REUTERS