Noting that the traditional Sino-DPRK friendly relations have a long history, he recalled that President Kim Il Sung together with Chairman Mao Zedong, Premier Zhou Enlai and other Chinese revolutionaries of the elder generation provided the friendly relations between the two countries.

The President is not only the great leader of the Korean people but also a close friend of the Chinese people, he said, adding that the Sino-DPRK friendly and cooperative relations are growing stronger under the deep care of Hu Jintao and Kim Jong Il.

This year is the "year of Sino-DPRK friendship" marking the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the DPRK, he noted, and continued:

The two countries will boost exchanges and cooperation and further strengthen the ties of friendship in the "year of Sino-DPRK friendship."

The Sino-DPRK friendship city meeting held in Pyongyang this time was a significant meeting as the friendly cities conducted substantial cooperation and exchanges in various fields, making a positive contribution to consolidating the ties between the peoples of the two countries.

The friendly cities will as ever play a great role in boosting the Sino-DPRK friendly relations.

While staying in the DPRK, we were deeply impressed to witness the scenic beauty of Pyongyang, sound mental and moral traits of the Korean people and great successes achieved by them in the socialist construction.

The Korean people united close around General Secretary Kim Jong Il are working eye-opening miracles in the drive to build a great prosperous and powerful nation by displaying the spirit of self-reliance and fortitude with strong faith and will to build a rich and powerful country by their own efforts.

Under the wise leadership of Kim Jong Il the Korean people will achieve greater successes in the drive to attain the gigantic goal to open the gate to a thriving nation by 2012.

The China-Korea Friendship Association will make positive efforts to boost the friendly relations between the two countries in the future, too.