President Hu Jintao received assurance on Friday that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will return to the Korean Peninsula denuclearization negotiation table early next month.

"The DPRK believes the common statement issued by the fourth round of Six-Party Talks was hard-won and of positive significance," said Kim Jong-il, general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defence Commission, during his talks with Hu.

"The DPRK will honor its commitment and attend the fifth round of talks as scheduled," Kim said.

The top DPRK leader stressed that his country will insist on its stance of maintaining a nuclear-free peninsula, as well as resolving the nuclear issue through peaceful means and talks.

Hu said China will maintain the goal of a nuclear-free peninsula, and the peaceful settlement of the issue through dialogue, so that peace and stability on the peninsula and in the region can be safeguarded.

China "will join efforts with the DPRK and other parties concerned to implement the overall objective of the common statement (of the fourth round of Six-Party Talks) and push for new progress in the fifth round of talks," Hu said.

The new round of talks, which also include the United States, Republic of Korea, Japan and Russia, is scheduled to open in Beijing early next month but the specific date has yet to be fixed.

Hu made the official goodwill visit in his capacity as general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee.

It was his first visit to the DPRK since he took office in 2002, and the first by the CPC chief since September 2001, when Hu's predecessor Jiang Zemin visited Pyongyang.

The visit comes amid international efforts to convince Pyongyang to stop its nuclear program and ensure a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

It follows a flurry of diplomatic activity between Beijing and Pyongyang, including DPRK visits by Vice-Premier Wu Yi and Li Bin, the Chinese diplomat responsible for Korean affairs, early this month.

China hosted international talks which last month produced an agreement that Pyongyang will give up all nuclear programs in exchange for security guarantees and energy assistance.

However, the DPRK has demanded that it be given a nuclear reactor for power generation before it dismantles its atomic projects.

Earlier, Hu received "the highest honor and most courteous reception" upon his arrival, a sign of strong traditional Sino-DPRK friendship.

In the downtown area of a city with a population of 3 million, up to 300,000 people lined up along the main street towards the Paekhwawon Guesthouse.

Flower-waving citizens in traditional Korean dress performed folk dances, shouting "Welcome, Hu Jintao!" in Chinese. Banners in both Korean and Chinese touting friendship were everywhere.

Local officials said preparations for Hu's visit started almost half a year ago.

In a written speech at the airport, Hu said developing friendly and cooperative Sino-DPRK relations conforms to the fundamental interests of the two nations.

A strong friendship between China and the DPRK also benefits peace and stability, and promotes development and prosperity in the region.

On Friday afternoon, Hu visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace, where former DPRK leader Kim Il-sung lies in state, to pay tribute.

Hu also laid a wreath before the Friendship Tower, a memorial monument for the martyrs of the Chinese People's Volunteers during the three-year War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea that started on October 25, 1950.

(China Daily October 29, 2005)