Zhang said that he was pleased to visit the DPRK this significant year marking the 60th anniversary of the entry of the Chinese People's Volunteers into the Korean front.

He stressed that the traditional friendly and cooperative relations between the armies and peoples of the two countries provided by President Kim Il Sung together with Chairman Mao Zedong and Premier Zhou Enlai have grown stronger.

He referred to the fact that Supreme Commander Kim Jong Il visited China again and put the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries onto a new higher phase.

Saying that the army and people of the DPRK have registered great successes in their efforts to improve the standard of people's living and increase the defence capacity in the spirit of self-reliance and fortitude, he hoped that the Korean people would significantly greet the conference of the Workers' Party of Korea and make fresh progress in building a thriving nation.