On the eve of the 55th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Chinese leaders on Monday delivered a message to the DPRK leaders, expressing their best wishes to the DPRK and its people.

On behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC), the Chinese government and the Chinese people, Hu Jintao, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee and Chinese president, Jiang Zemin, chairman of the CPC Central Military Commission, Wu Bangguo, chairman of the Standing Committee of the Chinese National People's Congress, and Wen Jiabao, Chinese prime minister, sent a congratulatory letter to Kim Jong Il, general secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK), chairman of the National Defense Commission and supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of DPRK's Supreme People's Assembly, and Prime Minister Park Pong Ju.

The Chinese leaders said in the letter that 55 years ago, the founding of the DPRK created a new era for the country's history.

Under the leadership of the late leader Kim Il Sung, General Secretary Kim Jong Il and the WPK, the DPRK people have made great achievements in the socialist construction in the past 55 years, the letter said.

The letter said that under the leadership of the WPK headed by Kim Jong Il at present, the DPRK people are making new achievements in building a strong country, developing foreign relations and realizing self-determination and peaceful unification.

China and the DPRK have all along maintained friendly ties, the letter said, adding that the traditional friendship between the two countries has witnessed further development in recent years.

The letter noted that the Chinese people will, along with the DPRK people, continue consolidating and developing the friendly cooperative relations between the two countries, and striving for maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsular.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on Monday also sent a congratulatory letter to his DPRK counterpart Paek Nam Sun.
 
(Xinhua News Agency September 8, 2003)