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PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA - OCT. 9: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Friday night held talks with one of China's top officials after a prolonged period of strained ties over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. The meeting in Pyongyang between Kim and Liu Yunshan, the Communist Party's fifth-ranked leader, was reported by China's official Xinhua News Agency. Liu presented a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping to Kim, in which he said that Beijing attaches great importance to its traditional friendly ties with Pyongyang, proposing that both sides go hand-in-hand to cherish their "common treasure," according to Xinhua. Liu is China's most senior official to have visited North Korea since Kim took power following the death of his father in December 2011. It is the first time in four years that China has sent someone from the Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee to North Korea. The last confirmed visit by a member of China's top circle of power was in October 2011, when Premier Li Keqiang, who was then vice premier, paid a three-day official goodwill visit. Kim said he believes Liu's visit will "play an important role in the development of bilateral ties," and expressed hope of working with China to "maintain close high-level exchanges and strengthen pragmatic cooperation in various fields," according to Xinhua. North Korean watchers are paying attention to see if the four-day visit starting Friday by Liu, who sits on the Chinese ruling party's seven-member standing committee, will pave the way for a dramatic improvement in bilateral relations.