Hu Jintao, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and president of China, held talks with Kim Jong-il, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the National Defense Commission of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea).

Kim paid an unofficial visit to China from April 19 to 21 at the invitation of Hu, according to a spokesman with the International Department of the CPC Central Committee in Beijing Wednesday.

During the cordial, friendly and candid talks, the two leaders briefed each other on their respective domestic conditions. They exchanged views and reached wide-ranging consensus on developing the relations between the two parties and two countries, as well as on international and regional situations and the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue.

Hu extended a warm welcome to Kim, holding that this visit demonstrates that Kim, the WPK and the North Korean government consider the development of relations between the two parties and two countries an important issue.

Kim expressed warm congratulations on China’s new collective leadership with Comrade Hu Jintao as general secretary. Kim said he was very happy to meet Hu again.

The two leaders spoke positively about China-North Korea relations. Hu said that in the new century, both countries, in the spirit of inheriting tradition and facing the future by building friendship and strengthening cooperation, have made positive efforts for the development of bilateral relations in the new era. There has been strong momentum in high-level exchanges. Bilateral exchanges and cooperation at various levels and in different fields have become increasingly active and steady progress has been made in economic and trade cooperation.

China is satisfied with the development of the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and the two countries, asserted Hu.

He went on to note that this year is the 55th anniversary of China-North Korea diplomatic relations, and reviewing the development of relations in the past half-century, China feels deeply that the friendship and cooperation between the two parties and the two countries have grown deeper and more solid with time. China’s new collective leadership treasures the China-North Korea friendship that was meticulously cultivated by past leaders of the two countries, and will continue working to consolidate and develop that friendship.

Under the new circumstances, said Hu, to continue invigorating their traditional friendship and cooperation, China suggests that both sides further strengthen high-level exchanges between the two parties and the two countries to enhance mutual understanding and trust; expand exchanges and deepen overall cooperation in various fields; reinforce communication, consultation and cooperation on major international and regional issues, and further develop economic and trade cooperation.

Kim agreed that this year is the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations, and it is a year of significance for the development of their relations at the beginning of the new century. It is the common aspiration and will of the two parties and the two peoples to strengthen and develop the two nations’ friendship. The history of the past half-century has proved that the basis of their relations is as firm as monolith.

China’s new collective leadership, now more than a year in office, has been consistent in its policy of consolidating and developing bilateral relations and made positive efforts to this end. Kim said that this provides great encouragement to North Korea. He said that North Korea will join China in inheriting the tradition of close cooperation between the two parties and the two countries and making new efforts to consolidate and develop friendly and cooperative relations.

Hu spoke positively of North Korea’s achievements in recent years. The party and people, under Kim’s leadership, have carried forward the spirit of self-reliance and arduous work, overcome many difficulties, scored great accomplishments in the process of building a strong and prosperous country, and continuously made progress in improving the external environment. China, he affirmed, is sincerely delighted.

Hu reiterated that China supports the North Korean party’s and people’s adherence to their socialist development direction, the North Korean comrades’ exploration of a development path suited to their conditions, the independent and peaceful reunification proposed and adhered to by North Korea, and the its efforts to improve the international environment.

Kim expressed his admiration for the remarkable achievements of China’s new collective leadership in the great cause of realizing China’s rejuvenation.

He said North Korea is very pleased to see that China’s new collective leadership, under the guidance of the important thought of Three Represents and with the principles of people first and governance for the people, has united and led the Chinese people in winning the fight against the SARS epidemic in a very short period of time, achieving rapid economic growth, launching its first manned spacecraft and substantially increasing its international status and influence.

He said that North Korea believes that China will realize its strategic goal of building a comprehensively prosperous society by the year 2020. He reiterated that the North Korean party and government will, as always, support China’s position on the Taiwan issue, wishing China an early completion of its reunification cause.

The two leaders exchanged in-depth views on peacefully solving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue. Both sides reaffirmed the positive results of the Beijing tri-party talks and the two rounds of six-party talks, and agreed to maintain the position of solving the issue through peaceful dialogue, and jointly pushing forward the six-party talks process so as to contribute to the final, peaceful solution.

Hu stressed that China, as a neighbor of the Korean Peninsula, has been committed to safeguarding peace and stability on the peninsula, supports a nuclear-weapon-free Korean Peninsula, supports a peaceful solution to the nuclear issue through dialogue, and maintains that North Korea’s rational concerns should be addressed.

Kim stated that he placed high value on the Chinese party’s and government’s positive stance on and important contributions to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula. He said that North Korea adheres to a nuclear-weapon-free ultimate goal and the country’s basic position on seeking a peaceful solution through dialogue has not changed. North Korea will keep a patient and flexible manner and actively participate in the six-party talks process, and make its own contributions to progress in the talks.

North Korea appreciates China’s support of its economic construction.

Kim invited Hu to visit North Korea at his convenience. Hu accepted Kim’s invitation with pleasure.

Upon Kim’s departure, Hu went to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse to bid him farewell.

(Xinhua News Agency April 21, 2004)