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)