China decided to offer assistanceto the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) during DPRK leader Kim Jong Il's visit to China, Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said in Beijing Thursday at a regular press conference.

Kong said China has repeated several times that DPRK people arefacing difficulties while making great achievements in domestic construction. China decided to offer assistance to the DPRK in a view to strengthening the traditional friendship between the two peoples.

The amount of the assistance is limited and the two countries are still discussing the details, Kong stressed.

Kim Jong Il, general-secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the National Defense Commission of the DPRK, paid an unofficial visit to China from April 19 to 21, at the invitation of Chinese President Hu Jintao, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China(CPC).

Source: Xinhua