Hu Jintao asked Choe Thae Bok to convey to General Secretary Kim Jong Il his invitation to visit China at a convenient time.

He said he was accorded cordial hospitality by General Secretary Kim Jong Il and the party, the government and the people of the DPRK during his visit to the DPRK four years ago and recollected it with deep emotion.

The visit paid by the WPK delegation to China in the wake of the visit of Premier Wen Jiabao to the DPRK is an indication that Kim Jong Il and the party and the government of the DPRK attach utmost importance to the development of the relations between the two countries, he noted, and went on:

The traditional Sino-DPRK relations have been put on a new stage through celebrations and exchange and cooperation that took place this year on the occasions of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties and the "year of Sino-DPRK friendship."

It is unshakable strategic policy of the party and the government of China to further consolidate and develop the Sino-DPRK friendship provided by the leaders of the elder generation of the two countries.

The party and the government of China are ready to strive with the Korean comrades to put the relations of friendship between the two countries on a new stage, defend regional peace and stability and achieve common development and prosperity by further expanding cooperation and visits in all fields in the spirit of "inheriting the tradition, facing up to the future, building good-neighborly friendship and strengthening cooperation" with utmost importance given to the Sino-DPRK relations.

He expressed belief that the fraternal Korean people would achieve greater success in building a great prosperous and powerful nation, united close around the WPK headed by Kim Jong Il.

The party, the government and the people of China will support the party, the government and the people of the DPRK in their cause of socialist construction in the future, too, he stressed.