Hu Jintao said that the DPRK delegation's participation in the above-said expo indicates that the party and the government of the DPRK attach importance to the Sino-DPRK friendship, adding that the bilateral relations have made steady good development thanks to the concerted efforts of the two sides in recent years.

Noting that it is the consistent policy of the Chinese party and government to attach utmost importance to the Sino-DPRK friendly relations and steadily boost the good neighborly and friendly ties, he underscored the need to steadily develop the goodwill visits and cooperation between the two sides and support and cooperate with each other in the international arena.

He said that he was pleased with many achievements made by the Korean people in the spirit of self-reliance and fortitude under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea headed by General Secretary Kim Jong Il.

He wholeheartedly wished the Korean people greater successes in their efforts to accelerate the economic construction and improve the standard of their living this year marking the 65th birthday of the WPK.

Present on the occasion were O Su Yong, vice-premier, Kim Song Gi, vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, and Choe Pyong Gwan, DPRK ambassador to China, and Yu Zhengsheng, Politburo member of the Central Committee of the CPC and secretary of its Shanghai Municipal Committee, Ling Jihua, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of its General Office, Wang Huning, member of the Secretariat and director of the Policy Research Office of the C.C., CPC, Dai Bingguo, state councillor, Yang Jiechi, minister of Foreign Affairs, Chen Shiju, director of the Office of President Hu Jintao, and Wu Hailong, assistant to the foreign minister.