General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Jong Il hosted a dinner Friday in honor of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and Chinese President Hu Jintao.

Kim, in a speech delivered before the dinner, said the trust and friendship between the two sides have been continuously consolidated under the turbulent world situation, and that Hu's current visit to the DPRK demonstrated the importance the new Chinese leadership attaches to the development of bilateral relations.

Kim spoke highly of China's positive efforts to enhance bilateral cooperation and safeguard peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula under the new circumstances. He said the DPRK people will treasure bilateral friendship forever and that the DPRK side will make active efforts to strengthen and develop the friendship.

Hu, who arrived here earlier Friday on a three-day official goodwill visit, also delivered a speech, saying that both sides should further bilateral high-level contacts and exchanges, expand spheres of exchanges and cooperation, push forward economic and trade cooperation for common development, and conduct active coordination and cooperation to safeguard common interests.

Hu reiterated that the CPC and the Chinese government and people attach great importance to bilateral friendship and take the consolidation and development of bilateral friendship as a firm strategic guideline.

The Chinese side will work with the DPRK side in developing close cooperation with mutual support, in a bid to continuously enrich the content of bilateral friendship and cooperation, said Hu.

Source: Xinhua