Present there on invitation were officials of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee including its Head Wang Jiarui, its Deputy Head Liu Hongcai and Assistant to its Head Guo Yezhou.

Choe Jin Su, DPRK ambassador to China, and staff members of his embassy in Beijing were present there.

The ambassador in his speech said that the exchange and cooperation between the Workers' Party of Korea and the CPC are becoming very close under the deep care of the top leaders of the two countries.

He affirmed that the DPRK would make all its efforts to contribute to boosting the friendly and cooperative relations between the two parties and the two countries by successfully holding events of the "Year of DPRK-China Friendship" as intended by the top leaders of the two countries.

He hoped that the Chinese people would greet with successes the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the People's Republic of China this year under the leadership of the CPC with Hu Jintao as its general secretary.

The head of the department noted that the frequent exchange of high-level delegations and brisk exchange and cooperation in various fields between the two sides once again strikingly demonstrated the vitality of the traditional Sino-DPRK friendship.

China could always hear the dynamic voices, notice the warm hands of help of the DPRK and feel its strong encouragement over the issue which the Chinese people consider most important, in particular, and whenever China badly needs help and support, he noted, adding that China would always remember this.

He expressed belief that both sides would further deepen the friendship, boost exchange and strengthen the cooperation through diverse events and thus carve out more beautiful future of the Sino-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations in the "year of Sino-DPRK friendship".