Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his DPRK counterpart Pak Bong Ju vowed to further the countries' "friendly cooperative ties," including economic cooperation and coordination on major issues, during talks on Tuesday.

Relations between China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) have seen "sound progress" with the direct care from the two countries' leaders, Wen told Pak in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

China and DPRK "maintained frequent high-level exchange, expanded economic and trade cooperation along with increasingly active exchanges in other fields," Wen said.

"In a spirit of inheriting tradition, facing the future, continuing good neighborliness and enhancing cooperation, China will further implement the consensus reached by the two countries' leaders, enhance communication and coordination on major issues and deepen economic and trade cooperation to push forward the friendly and cooperation ties between them," Wen said.

Pak said the DPRK-China relations were growing soundly and cooperation in all fields vigorous, which served as a vital basis for the their future cooperation.

The Chinese government and people offered sincere help for promoting DPRK's economic progress and for improving the people's living standard in terms of both spirit and material, Pak said. He said the DPRK people "were encouraged by and appreciated" that.

"To continuously consolidate and develop the friendly ties between DPRK and China" is the "unswerving policy" of the DPRK, he said, adding that the DPRK hoped the friendly ties would gain "much more progress" in the new century.

Pak was here for his first official visit to China as DPRK premier. He is scheduled to visit Shanghai in east China and Shenyang and Anshan in northeast China after his visit in Beijing.