Jiang: China Persistent in Developing Sino-DPRK Ties

Ties with DPRK to develop further

Jiang Zemin, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, attended a banquet in Beijing Monday night marking the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) at the embassy of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Jiang expressed "warm and sincere congratulation" on the 55th anniversary of the WPK during a meeting with DPRK's Ambassador to China Chu Chang Jun, and asked the ambassador to convey his best regards to DPRK leader Kim Jong Il.

Jiang praised the WPK, founded by the late DPRK leader Kim Il Sung, as having achieved great success in socialist revolution and construction after it led the DPRK people to victory in the country's liberation war.

Jiang said, over the past few years, the WPK under the leadership of General-Secretary Kim Jong Il has continued to march forward along the socialist road and has scored remarkable progress in improving North-South relations and in expanding its external ties.

The Chinese side believes that under the leadership of WPK led by Kim Jong Il, the DPRK people will score even greater progress, Jiang said.

Jiang said that the China-DPRK friendship has strengthened and has been marked with new progress under the joint efforts and care from both sides. During the visit to China by Kim Jong Il last May, the two sides reached consensus on further development of China- DPRK relations, which has injected new vigor into the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries, Jiang said.

The Chinese leader said the CPC and the Chinese Government made it a set long-term policy to constantly consolidate and develop China-DPRK traditional relations. The Chinese side will work together with the DPRK side to strengthen bilateral cooperation and push forward China-DPRK friendly relations to new levels.

Chu Chang Jun conveyed Kim Jong Il's greetings to Jiang and said that it has been a consistent policy of the DPRK side to highly value, consolidate and develop DPRK-China friendly and cooperative relations.

At the banquet, Ambassador Chu made a speech, and Zeng Qinghong, an alternate member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and also a member of its Secretariat, delivered a speech on behalf of the CPC Central Committee. They warmly praised the friendship between the two parties and two countries.

More than 100 Chinese officials from the Chinese party, military, and government agencies attended the banquet.