Reception marks 43rd anniversary of Sino-DPRK treaty

The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) held a reception in Beijing Tuesday to mark the 43rd anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Addressing the reception, CPAFFC President Chen Haosu said the treaty has withstood the test of time since it was signed 43 years ago, and has made important contribution to maintaining regional peace.

Chen said China and DPRK are close neighbors just like tips and teeth. Under the current international situation, to maintain and enhance China-DPRK friendly cooperative relations is of great importance to promoting peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula, northeast Asia and the world at large.

Cementing China-DPRK traditional friendship is an unswerving principle of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government, as well as a sincere wish of the Chinese people, he said.

DPRK Ambassador to China Choe Jin Su said the treaty has consolidated the bilateral friendship and facilitated the socialist construction of the two sides. The two countries conducted cooperation in various fields under the spirit of the treaty, and has made progress in their socialist revolution and construction. DPRK is satisfied with the progress.

Signed in Beijing on July 11, 1961, the treaty aims at cementing the two countries' friendly cooperative and mutual-aid relations, jointly ensuring the security of the two peoples, and maintaining and consolidating the peace in Asia and the world.

Ever since the signing of the treaty, the two countries maintained traditional good-neighborly cooperative relations. Since1990s, the two sides kept frequent high-level visits.

The top leader of DPRK Kim Jong-il has made three visits to China since 2000, which are from May 29 to 31 in 2000, Jan. 15 to 20 in 2001, and April 19 to 21 in 2004, respectively. The first two were made at the invitation of the then General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese President Jiang Zemin, while the third one is made at the invitation of General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

During his three visits to China, Kim, who is also general-secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the National Defense Commission of the DPRK, exchanged views with Chinese leaders and they reached consensus on major issues of common concern.

They also held that China and the DPRK should keep the tradition of exchanging visits of high-level leaders between the two countries and two parties, and make more efforts to further consolidate, develop and deepen the traditional friendship nurtured by elder generation of leaders of the two countries, in a bid to promote the bilateral friendly relations to a higher level.

Last October, Chinese top legislator Wu Bangguo headed a state delegation and paid a three-day good-will visit to DPRK. During Wu's visit, the two sides exchanged opinions on bilateral relations and other issues. They agreed to further enhance and promote the traditional bilateral friendship and pledged to promote economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.

Source: Xinhua