Senior officials from North Korea and China held their talks in Beijing and exchanged views about matters of mutual concern, Pyongyang's state media reported Sunday, in the first high-level meeting since the North's botched rocket launch.

The "strategic dialogue" between Kim Yong-il, the secretary for international affairs at the North Korean Workers' Party, and Wang Jiarui, the head of the Chinese Communist Party's international department, took place on Saturday, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.

"Both sides exchanged views on further developing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and two countries, and matters of mutual concern," the KCNA said in the report.

North Korea defied international warnings and launched a long-range rocket on April 13, but the launch flopped as the rocket crashed after flying for a couple of minutes.

Pyongyang claimed the launch was designed to put a satellite into orbit, but Seoul, Washington and others blasted it as a cover for testing improved ballistic missile technology.

Last week, China joined a statement by the United Nations Security Council that "strongly condemned" the North's launch and warned it will impose new sanctions if Pyongyang carries out another launch of a long-range rocket or a nuclear test. (Yonhap)