China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed in Pyongyang on Thursday in principle to continue the six-party talks on the Korean nuclear issue.

The agreement was reached during the talks between Kim Jong Il, general-secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the National Defense Commission of the DPRK, and China's top legislator Wu Bangguo. Both leaders expressed support for resolving the issue through dialogue.

China and the DPRK agreed in principle to continue the six-party talks process, a source with China's Foreign Ministry said.

The DPRK side stressed that the United States should accept a package solution on the principle of simultaneous actions, the source said, adding that the Chinese side emphasized the need to address the concerns of the DPRK and the United States at the same time.

The two leaders also had an in-depth discussion on bilateral relations.

Wu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee and member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC) Central Committee, expressed the belief that the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK will score new progress.

He said that the CPC and the Chinese government attached importance to the China-DPRK friendship. The new Chinese leadership will, as always, make unremitting efforts to develop such friendly relations.

China has always paid attention to the construction and development in the DPRK and supported the WPK and the DPRK government in exploring development ways suited to its national conditions, Wu noted.

He added that China is willing to exchange experience with the Korean comrades to promote the joint development of two countries.

The fact that China sent a state delegation to visit the DPRK soon after the new Chinese leadership was formed fully displays the attention paid by the CPC and the Chinese government to the DPRK-China relations, Kim said.

It is "our important responsibility" to further enhance and promote the traditional friendship between the two countries under the current complicated in the region and the world, Kim said.

He stressed that no matter what changes may occur, the WPK and the DPRK government will be unswervingly devoted to consolidating and developing the DPRK-China friendly cooperation.

Wu also conveyed greetings from Chinese leaders Hu Jintao, Jiang Zemin and Wen Jiabao to Kim. He told Kim that Hu, general-secretary of the CPC Central Committee, expected Kim to visit China at his convenience. Kim expressed gratitude for the invitation and said he hoped to visit China again.

Wu headed China's state delegation for a three-day official goodwill visit at the invitation of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and the DPRK cabinet. His visit reciprocates the two previous visits made by the DPRK state delegations in 1998 and 2002.

(Xinhua News Agency October 31, 2003)