Kim, the head of the North's military delegation, arrived in Beijing on Friday, amid Pyongyang's angry reaction to the ongoing military exercise between South Korea and the United States, which it criticizes as a rehearsal for an invasion.

"Kim Su-gil expressed the will to develop the friendly and cooperative relations between the armies of the DPRK and China onto a higher level in conformity with the lofty intentions of the top leaders of the two countries," the KCNA reported in an English-language article.

DPRK stands for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"Miao Hua said that the China-DPRK friendly relations, which have been further strengthened, overcoming ordeals and difficulties over the past 70 years since the establishment of the diplomatic relations, are developing on a new level," the agency added.

Miao also noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Central Military Commission are attaching "great importance" to the visit by the North's delegation, the KCNA said.

Kim and Miao, both key members of their countries' military establishments, were present at the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Xi in Pyongyang on June 20. (Yonhap)