Present there on invitation were Chinese Ambassador to the DPRK Liu Hongcai and staff members of his embassy.

Choe Chang Sik, minister of Public Health who is chairman of the C.C., the Korea-China Friendship Society, and other officials concerned were present there.

Choe said at the reception that President Kim Il Sung and Premier Zhou Enlai signed the above-said treaty, providing the two countries with a legal foundation for boosting the bilateral relations in various fields.

He referred to the fact that the two countries have promoted socialist construction and steadily developed the friendly and cooperative relations, supporting each other in the spirit of the treaty.

He hoped that the Chinese people would register greater successes in the future, too, under the leadership of the Communist Party of China with Hu Jintao as its general secretary.

Liu Hongcai said in his speech that since the conclusion of the treaty, the two countries have positively conducted exchange and cooperation in the political, economic, cultural and various other fields, respecting and supporting each other and thus contributed to developing the friendly relations between China and the DPRK and ensuring peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the rest of Asia.

He referred to the fact that General Secretary Kim Jong Il paid an unofficial visit to China in last May at the invitation of General Secretary Hu Jintao amid the warm welcome of the party, the government and people of China.

He expressed belief that the Korean people would register greater successes in the building of a thriving nation under the leadership of the Workers' Party of Korea headed by Kim Jong Il.