China is seeking stronger cooperative links with the Democratic
People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), a senior Chinese official said
in Pyongyang Saturday.??
Li
Changchun, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political
Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee,
said China and the DPRK should continue to strengthen cooperation
to carry forward the traditional Sino-DPRK friendship.
Speaking following a meeting with Kim Yong-nam, president of the
Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People's Assembly, Li said the
bilateral friendship initiated by leaders of elder generations of
the two countries is based on deep historical links and firm
political foundations.
Kim said consolidation and strengthening of bilateral friendship
are in the fundamental interests of the two peoples.
The DPRK side attaches great importance to bilateral friendship
and will develop close bilateral cooperation in various fields
including in international affairs, he added.
Kim spoke highly of China's remarkable achievements and its
independent foreign policy of peace, which has won extensive
respects from the international community and fully demonstrated
that China's domestic and foreign policies are correct.
At a separate meeting with DPRK Cabinet Premier Pak Bong-ju on
Saturday, Li said the two sides are willing to further develop
bilateral economic and trade cooperation as the two countries are
faced with good opportunities and vast potentials.
China attaches importance to developing economic and trade
cooperation of mutual benefits with the DPRK, and will work with
the DPRK side to substantiate the important consensus reached
between leaders of the two countries and actively expand the
Sino-DPRK cooperation, Li said.
Pak said the bilateral cooperation has been more active since
DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-il visited China in April, and he
believed that Li's visit would make new contributions to the
development of bilateral friendly relations.
Li, heading a delegation of the CPC and the Chinese government
that was invited by the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of
Korea and the DPRK government, arrived in Pyongyang on Friday for
an official goodwill visit to the country.
(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2004)
