The attendance of a senior North Korean official at a military parade marking the end of World War II in Beijing last week demonstrated a traditional friendship between the allies, the Chinese Ambassador to North Korea, Li Jinjun, has said.

Choe Ryong-hae, secretary of the Central Committee of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, attended the Chinese military parade Thursday, along with about 30 heads of state, including South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During a meeting on Thursday in Pyongyang with North Korean officials to celebrate the war's end, Li said that the attendance of Choe "attached importance of China-North Korea traditionally friendly relations."

Li also stressed the role of the North Korean military during the "anti-Japanese war," saying that both Chinese and North Korean troops stood "shoulder to shoulder" to defeat the Japanese Imperial Army, according to the website of the Chinese Embassy in Pyongyang.

North Korea is China's only treaty ally, but their political ties remain strained over the North's nuclear ambitions.

The North's young leader, Kim Jong-un, has yet to visit China since taking power in late 2011, following the death of his father, Kim Jong-il. (Yonhap)